UPDATE: As of today (Oct 30, 2014) the bill has been pulled from Monday’s council meeting. Social Media is working. Share and continue to let our city officials know that this is not the answer. It has NOT been killed. This bill is still a possibility.
Charleston’s city council has been courting a new ordnance for the stray cat problem our fair city has been facing. The problem with the bill (Bill 7598) is that it will likely create more of a stray cat problem instead of solving it. The bill, sponsored by Councilman Cubert Smith, is looking to penalize cat owners for their cats leaving their property. This is a so-called “nuisance cat” issue. It basically allows for the dog catcher to also catch cats. Cats that someone owns.
What is a nuisance cat? From what this writer understands, it is a cat that is not on the owner’s property. Anyone that has owned an outdoor cat will tell you that they like to roam around. What nuisance are they posing? Maybe begging a neighbor for food. I am not sure. What is sure is that tensions between neighbors is going to increase.
This bill was introduced last year by Councilman Smith (actually it happened at the only city council meeting I have ever attended). It seems to come from a genuine place of compassion and care, but it is misguided. The focus shouldn’t be so much on the cats that have owners, it should specifically focus on the stray cat issue. The Kanawha Humane Society (KHS) is already overflowing with cats. They have been working towards becoming a no-kill shelter. This bill will not help them in that goal.
There is a much better solution to this problem: Spay-and-Release. In fact it is touted by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to be:
The ASPCA endorses Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) as the only proven humane and effective method to manage feral cat colonies. The following information provides background on TNR, online and print resources, and what you can do to get involved in your community.
That link also explains the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat, basically, “was the cat born in the wild?” If so, it’s feral. There is a lot of that going on in our Charleston streets.
Consider that removing cats from the area will only lead to new stray and feral cats to take their place and continue the cycle. Existing cats will protect their territory.
The penalties might be acceptable of 100% of the money collected goes straight to the KHS. I’m not sure what the cash is earmarked for, but it would probably be safe to assume that it would be less than the full amount.
KHS has also started a petition on Change.org that you should sign to let our Mayor and Councilmen & women know that we do not feel that catching cats and locking them up is not the answer to the problem. It states:
This bill would allow pet cats to be impounded without nuisance behavior when cat is reported to be on another person’s property, putting pets at risk. The bill forces burden on local shelter (Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association) and drains city cash and personnel resources. Importantly, the bill presents no solution to cat overpopulation in Charleston, WV and exercises undue authority over shelter.
Bill 7598 will increase shelter admissions, costs, and unwarranted euthanasia.
This is your chance to have your voice heard. This is a terrible idea and we here at Marten Bench do NOT support it in the least bit.
martenbench 