California Woman: "Hit A Cat, I'll Hit Your Kid"

LODI, Calif. (KXTV) - A Lodi woman has been getting a lot of attention lately for a sign in her yard that reads, "Hit a cat, I'll hit your kid."

Early Friday morning, Tina Teixeira said a driver who was speeding down Elm Street hit one of her eight cats. Teixeira said the driver did not even stop to help.

"I can't just let her die in vain for nothing," Teixeira said. "Someone needs to stand up to these people."

Teixeira said yelling and screaming at speeding drivers wasn't working, and she needed to take a different, more shocking approach to get people to slow down and pay attention.

Teixeira's sign is definitely getting attention now.

"If a cat can't walk in a bike lane in front of its own house, what do you think is going to happen to your kids one of these days?" Teixeira said.

Neighbor Barbara Goehring agreed that something needed to be done to slow drivers. After all, there is a school just down the street.

"I've wondered why kids haven't been killed the way people, they don't stop down there," Goehring said. "They need to slow down. This Elm Street is horrible."

Teixeira stressed that her intent was not to threaten children. In fact, Teixeira said she loved all forms of life. Ultimately, if people would slow down because of all the attention, it would keep area children safer as well

"I value every form of life from a tree to a cat, to a child, to even snails," Teixeira said.

Since that initial sign, Teixeira had made two more less shocking signs. One read, "God have mercy on your souls." The other sign read "I watch for your kids, Please watch for mine."