"Next Time Just Flush" joke

W H I T M A N, Mass.? Be careful what you do with your radioactive cat poop.

William Jenness agreed to pay a $3, 856. 47 fee for mishandling his cat Mitzi's litter box.

Jenness took Mitzi, 11, to a local clinic to treat her hyperthyroidism. The treatment involved giving the feline an injection of radioactive iodine, and Jenness was given strict instructions to flush his pet's waste down the toilet, rather than throw it out.

Cats who undergo the procedure are themselves radioactive for several days, as is their waste product. After a few days, radiation levels return to normal.

Jenness didn't follow the instructions.

"I was afraid of my septic system being clogged," he told The Patriot Ledger. "When it hardened it came into fairly big lumps. I probably should've put more effort into breaking it up."

When Jenness' garbage made it's way to the SEMASS waste incinerator in Rochester, it set off an alarm that detects radioactive material.

"They routinely scan the trash for radioactive and dangerous materials," said Frank Lyman, the Whitman town administrator.

Plant workers searched for the source of the radiation, and found the cat poop with Jenness' other garbage.

"They of course disposed of it and billed the city for the costs," Lyman said. The city sent a letter to Jenness, who promptly agreed to foot the nearly $4, 000 bill.

"He brought a check right down the department of public works," Lyman said.

"I didn't feel the town should pay for me," Jenness told The Patriot Ledger.

He said Mitzi was worth the unexpected cost.

"I've had her since she was a new kitten and I love her," he expained.