The Tribune

By MORGAN ADDERLEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

A video of a cat nestled among debris on a cluttered shelf in what appears to be a local restaurant’s kitchen has sparked ire across social media.

It was posted in a popular Facebook group last month.

In the 26-second clip, the cat, which appeared unharmed, is seen lying on a shelf, surrounded by items. As the camera pans away, viewers can see that right next to the cat are racks of meat in various stages of preparation, some raw and some cooked, and an uncovered garbage bin.

A few feet away, a worker can be seen handling Styrofoam food containers in the unsanitary, dirty kitchen.

This video follows on the heels of two other videos featuring animals in or near food establishments.

In one video, a rat is seen being kept in a cage at the backdoor of what is claimed to be a Chinese restaurant.

The cage is covered by cardboard. Construction workers can be seen working on the building as the person recording says: “When I tell y’all stop eating them Chinese, y’all didn’t believe me right?

“Lone rats,” he adds.

It is unclear from the footage whether the rat is being kept on purpose or is in a trap.

In another video, posted in March, a woman is heard angrily yelling at a man who has brought a cat inside a food establishment.

In the woman’s expletive filled diatribe, she implies that the man has brought the cat to give to the restaurant’s owners.

The woman exclaimed: “Talk ‘bout (that isn’t) my business and you bringing a whole cat for these people? I ask you where this cat come from, you ga’ talk ‘bout this ain’ my business? And I eatin’ from this place?”

The man eventually leaves with the cat, but it appears he was heading to the back of the restaurant.

The person who posted the video asked, “Do you think the authorities need and should address this viral video?”

The identities of the restaurants in question could not be ascertained from the videos.

The Tribune spoke with Director of Environmental Health Services Melanie McKenzie about the videos posted on social media.

While Ms McKenzie was unfamiliar with the clips, she said her department does investigate complaints that come to their attention. She added that animals are not allowed in food establishments.

When asked what infraction this is breaking, Ms McKenzie said: “Animals aren’t allowed in food places. So that would be the infraction.

“Not necessarily the kitchen you know — any part of the food establishment.”

In terms of penalties, Ms McKenzie said that is up to the court system. The maximum penalty for such an infraction is $50,000, she estimated.

The Environmental Health Services director told The Tribune that she does not know of any restaurants being closed recently for such violations.

However, she said that the agency would investigate any complaints they receive.