I'm cross posting...I hope it's okay Gaye! Please do not sign anything yet...the link is bad but read first!
URGENT...PLEASE READ ENTIRE POST, AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ADVISED BY GEORGE EIGENHAUSER (CFA LEGISLATIVE ATTORNEY) AND JOAN MILLER (CFA LEGISLATIVE CHAIR). WHAT HAPPENS IN CALIFORNIA SPREADS THROUGHOUT THE US...THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!
(Forwarded from the CFA List wi/permission. Please forward to other folks and lists...pet owners, kitten owners,friends, relatives, rescue groups, dog lists....worldwide. ..all responses and signatures opposing this via the petitions needed; letters and faxes, too). Usually online petitions are not valid, but this one is needed and sponsored by CFA. Please read this entire post...the last part tells you what can happen to pedigreed cats in California and then the rest of the US if this should pass (pedigreed dogs, too).
Petition - Dog and Cat Owners Say No to AB 1634 Posted by: "George Eigenhauser" geigenhauser@ allmail.net geigenhauser Fri Apr 6, 2007 11:43 pm (PST) California Alert -- Mandatory Spay/Neuter.
The new draft of AB 1634 is out, and it's worse than the original. NO registry is accepted statewide, and the exemption to keep a cat whole is impossible for cat fanciers to achieve (for example, as it's worded you have to show kittens under the age of 4 months). The other side is having a major press event Monday, and the first State Assembly Committee hearing is on Tuesday, April 10.
We are now asking fanciers and friends to sign the "Dog & Cat Owners Say No to AB 1634" petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/ takeaction/ 414897802. The other side is using an all out online petition campaign, and we are fighting fire with fire. Our online petition is being supported by dog and cat fanciers. We can't beat the other side's financial backing, but we can generate a *massive* grass-roots effort to show our opposition. Numbers count! We need you now.
If you see any other petitions online, either for or against, they are not us. We need to all sign the same petition or the effects will be diluted. This has become a national campaign. The other side is not limiting signatures to California, so neither are we. We want fanciers all over the world to sign this petition before the hearing on Monday.
Please follow the link and sign the petition. Have your spouse, significant other or partner sign. Have your kids sign, your neighbors, your kitten buyers...... At cat show this weekend announce we are doing a massive petition push, and ask them to check this list for details. DO NOT BE FOOLED BY IMITATORS.
George Eigenhauser
CFA Legislative Information Liaison
P.S. And if you do live in California, have you contacted your state representative yet? California clubs, have you written your opposition letters to the committee?
8.
Alley Cat Allies TAKE ACTION! Oppose CA Assembly Bill 1634 Posted by: "JMillerArt@aol. com" JMillerArt@aol. com jmillerart Sat Apr 7, 2007 12:25 am (PST)
In a message dated 4/6/2007 10:35:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
mysinhs@jps. net writes:
My sister works with feral cat rescue groups and forwarded their action alert to me today. I hope that this group is listed as an opponent of the bill.
Jo Ann;
It is too late for the Committee Oppose Listing - that closed on Wednesday. But this will bring in faxes and emails to the California Assembly Members and author through the Alley Cat Allies action center. It will now be known by lawmakers that concerns with this bill go way beyond just breeders objecting to a mandatory spay/neuter law. We can reduce the numbers of homeless cats without the historic and cherished breeds of cats becoming extinct. The revised version of AB 1634 would make it impossible for anyone breeding pedigreed cats to comply; and there are even more problems for dog owners, working dogs, law enforcement dogs and the California jurisdictions that would have to direct resources to administration and enforcement.
We have worked with Alley Cat Allies for many years, discussed cat issues with them at conferences - and collaborated on projects. This has really paid off in gaining understanding of each others' goals to raise the value of all cats in our own ways. Their coming out OPPOSED to AB 1634 is fantastic. It is going to open the eyes of many in the rescue/feral cat community who respect ACA leadership. We hope they will be open to learning how mandatory spay/neuter laws anywhere in the United States have negative consequences that are far reaching. We all support spay/neuter programs to enable cat owners and caregivers of the unowned/feral cats to stop unchecked reproduction that results in cats on the streets and in shelters. I applaud ACA for having the courage and foresight to take this action. They have a huge network of cat lovers in America and in many other countries.
Please tell anyone you know to go to:
_http://www.alleycat .org_ (http://www.alleycat .org) click on "get
involved" - "take action"
The Oppose AB 1634 Alert is prominent and there is a simple action center
letter to send. It's easy.
Also, sign our petition just put up in the last few minutes. We want 1 million signatures from all over the world from dog and cat people who care about stopping this campaign for mandatory spay/neuter.
_Click here: Dog & Cat Owners Say No to AB 1634 Petition_
(http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ takeaction/ 414897802? ltl=1175923257)
OK to forward.
Joan
**********
Joan Miller
Member, CFA Board of Directors
CFA Legislative Coordinator
JMillerArt@aol. com
_www.cfa.org_ (http://www.cfa. org/)
www.cfa.org/ ezine
9.
Calif. AB 1634 - what it means for pedigreed cat breeds Posted by: "JMillerArt@aol. com" JMillerArt@aol. com jmillerart Sat Apr 7, 2007 1:53 am (PST)
Appropriate forwarding is encouraged.
Cat Fanciers;
It is apparent that many veterinarians, almost all shelter professionals, and even some fanciers are not aware of how devastating AB 1634 would be to the future of the historic and rare breeds of cats. This bill is not just a matter of breeders objecting to paying unknown/high fees for "intact permits". The bill would end the cat fancy in California and seriously harm the genepools of beautiful healthy well bred pedigreed cat breeds. These cats are ideal for those families or individuals who want the predictable characteristics of cats like the sweet gentle Persian, the lap-sitting Burmese or the high energy Abyssinian.
The conditions in AB 1634 (revision dated April 9, 2007) for exemptions from mandatory spay/neuter are such that those persons BREEDING PEDIGREED CATS COULD NOT COMPLY AT ALL.
Link to AB 1634, Revised draft dated April 9th, on the CFA website. _http://cfa.org/ exhibitors/ alerts.html_ (http://cfa.org/ exhibitors/ alerts.html)
Here is the problem;
ALL kittens/cats over the age of 4 months must be sterilized.
a. To get an "intact permit" - this is allowed for those cats/kittens meeting various conditions:
1. You need to have a business license, (home breeders are not in "business" and may not meet zoning or other requirements to operate as a "business" as these vary with each community.) AND be licensed as a breeder by the local jurisdiction or animal control. (But there is no requirement that the local jurisdiction MUST set up a breeder license program. Breeders, like anyone else, resent having government inspectors in their bedrooms looking for a litter of kittens. Breeder licensing is a money loser for jurisdictions that will not want to set up or enforce a breeder license scheme.)
OR
2. you have to meet ALL of three conditions
A. The cat has competed in at least one show within the last two years. (Impossible for a kitten since they can't be in a showhall until at least 4 months old by CFA rules and they are supposed to be sterilized before that age. All kittens would be in noncompliance. Most breeders wait to evaluate kittens for breeding potential until they are more mature. Some do not like early age altering as some breeds develop more slowly.)
B. The cat is of a "valid" breed recognized by an "approved" registry. (Any local entity we hope would approve CFA, but who knows.)
C. The cat has earned, or is in the process of earning, a TITLE (conformation, obedience, etc.) from an approved "purebred" registry or association. (If a cat doesn't like to show - too bad. If the cat is a tailed Manx and can't be shown - too bad. Many cats are valuable in breeding programs but cannot be shown for a variety of reasons or a breeder may not want to show for a variety of reasons including personal. Perhaps CFA will have to start awarding "Obedience Titles" for cats.)
OR
3. the dog is a guide dog, etc. (No way to meet this one.)
OR
4. the dog is trained and used by law enforcement, etc. (No way to meet
this one.)
OR
5. the owner provides a veterinarian' s letter stating due to age, poor
health or illness it is unsafe to spay/neuter the cat and saying when the cat
will be spayed/neutered. (This does not help a healthy breeding cat.)
b. In addition - if a cat were to somehow be able to get an "intact permit", when later the cat no longer meets the requirements above the cat must be spayed/neutered. (A show cat after winning "Cat of the Year" who is no longer being shown would have to be sterilized. When cats are proven to be of high quality by their show achievements then that is when they are valuable for a breeding program and should not be spayed/neutered ! Cats after showing normally do not go back to shows in the following years - they pass on their genes to offspring and then they become neutered pets.)
c. In addition -
1. The fee for an "intact permit" shall be "what is reasonably necessary" to fund the administration of this complicated, bureaucratic nightmare program. There is no tested law to know how much this might cost. Several jurisdictions are already proposing 150/cat/year. It could be an even higher excise tax.
2. The jurisdictions MAY adopt a permit differential fee that would qualify for an intact permit. (Some may do this, others may have a higher license fee and charge an additional fee for an "intact permit" that allows the cat to be used for breeding. There is great uncertainty. )
d. The worst of all -
No jurisdiction is prohibited from adopting a MORE restrictive spay/neuter "program". There will be jurisdictions unable to implement the complicated proof of show career, registry approving, title checking plan for dogs and xats. Others may not want to administer an expensive breeder license program. Many could simply say mandatory spay/neuter - NO EXCEPTIONS.
We know the agenda of the animal rights organizations in support of this bill is to eventually stop all purposeful breeding. But it is difficult to understand how the California Animal Control Directors Association (CACDA) would support diverting resources to a complicated breeder-hunter law. We wonder why the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) would want to see the historic and beautiful well tempered breeds of cats with rich history, like Persians, Siamese, Japanese Bobtails, Korats, Maine Coons, American Shorthairs, Russian Blues and so many others become EXTINCT. The cat fancy helps to educate and to raise the value of all cats. AB 1634 isn't necessary for communities to reduce the numbers of homeless cats in California shelters. Stopping the unchecked reproduction of unowned/freeroaming /feral cats is.
Joan Miller
CFA Legislative Coordinator
JMillerArt@aol. com
_www.cfa.org_ (http://www.cfa. org/)
www.cfa.org/ ezine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Linda Pollack Mercer, M.D.
President & Rescue Coordinator
CFA Purebred Rescue, Inc., http://cfapurebredr escue.org (501c3)
D/B/A Purebred Cat Breed Rescue, http://PurebredCats .org
Member, TICA Rescue Committee
Director, Operation Noble Foster, http://www.Operatio nNobleFoster. org
Moderator & Owner, The Persian Rescue Email list: http://pets. groups.yahoo. com/group/ Persian_Rescue/
Phone (rescue emergencies only please): (888) 303-9454 [toll free]
Email: <rescue@purebredcats .org>(@purebredcats. org)
URGENT...PLEASE READ ENTIRE POST, AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ADVISED BY GEORGE EIGENHAUSER (CFA LEGISLATIVE ATTORNEY) AND JOAN MILLER (CFA LEGISLATIVE CHAIR). WHAT HAPPENS IN CALIFORNIA SPREADS THROUGHOUT THE US...THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!
(Forwarded from the CFA List wi/permission. Please forward to other folks and lists...pet owners, kitten owners,friends, relatives, rescue groups, dog lists....worldwide. ..all responses and signatures opposing this via the petitions needed; letters and faxes, too). Usually online petitions are not valid, but this one is needed and sponsored by CFA. Please read this entire post...the last part tells you what can happen to pedigreed cats in California and then the rest of the US if this should pass (pedigreed dogs, too).
Petition - Dog and Cat Owners Say No to AB 1634 Posted by: "George Eigenhauser" geigenhauser@ allmail.net geigenhauser Fri Apr 6, 2007 11:43 pm (PST) California Alert -- Mandatory Spay/Neuter.
The new draft of AB 1634 is out, and it's worse than the original. NO registry is accepted statewide, and the exemption to keep a cat whole is impossible for cat fanciers to achieve (for example, as it's worded you have to show kittens under the age of 4 months). The other side is having a major press event Monday, and the first State Assembly Committee hearing is on Tuesday, April 10.
We are now asking fanciers and friends to sign the "Dog & Cat Owners Say No to AB 1634" petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/ takeaction/ 414897802. The other side is using an all out online petition campaign, and we are fighting fire with fire. Our online petition is being supported by dog and cat fanciers. We can't beat the other side's financial backing, but we can generate a *massive* grass-roots effort to show our opposition. Numbers count! We need you now.
If you see any other petitions online, either for or against, they are not us. We need to all sign the same petition or the effects will be diluted. This has become a national campaign. The other side is not limiting signatures to California, so neither are we. We want fanciers all over the world to sign this petition before the hearing on Monday.
Please follow the link and sign the petition. Have your spouse, significant other or partner sign. Have your kids sign, your neighbors, your kitten buyers...... At cat show this weekend announce we are doing a massive petition push, and ask them to check this list for details. DO NOT BE FOOLED BY IMITATORS.
George Eigenhauser
CFA Legislative Information Liaison
P.S. And if you do live in California, have you contacted your state representative yet? California clubs, have you written your opposition letters to the committee?
8.
Alley Cat Allies TAKE ACTION! Oppose CA Assembly Bill 1634 Posted by: "JMillerArt@aol. com" JMillerArt@aol. com jmillerart Sat Apr 7, 2007 12:25 am (PST)
In a message dated 4/6/2007 10:35:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
mysinhs@jps. net writes:
My sister works with feral cat rescue groups and forwarded their action alert to me today. I hope that this group is listed as an opponent of the bill.
Jo Ann;
It is too late for the Committee Oppose Listing - that closed on Wednesday. But this will bring in faxes and emails to the California Assembly Members and author through the Alley Cat Allies action center. It will now be known by lawmakers that concerns with this bill go way beyond just breeders objecting to a mandatory spay/neuter law. We can reduce the numbers of homeless cats without the historic and cherished breeds of cats becoming extinct. The revised version of AB 1634 would make it impossible for anyone breeding pedigreed cats to comply; and there are even more problems for dog owners, working dogs, law enforcement dogs and the California jurisdictions that would have to direct resources to administration and enforcement.
We have worked with Alley Cat Allies for many years, discussed cat issues with them at conferences - and collaborated on projects. This has really paid off in gaining understanding of each others' goals to raise the value of all cats in our own ways. Their coming out OPPOSED to AB 1634 is fantastic. It is going to open the eyes of many in the rescue/feral cat community who respect ACA leadership. We hope they will be open to learning how mandatory spay/neuter laws anywhere in the United States have negative consequences that are far reaching. We all support spay/neuter programs to enable cat owners and caregivers of the unowned/feral cats to stop unchecked reproduction that results in cats on the streets and in shelters. I applaud ACA for having the courage and foresight to take this action. They have a huge network of cat lovers in America and in many other countries.
Please tell anyone you know to go to:
_http://www.alleycat .org_ (http://www.alleycat .org) click on "get
involved" - "take action"
The Oppose AB 1634 Alert is prominent and there is a simple action center
letter to send. It's easy.
Also, sign our petition just put up in the last few minutes. We want 1 million signatures from all over the world from dog and cat people who care about stopping this campaign for mandatory spay/neuter.
_Click here: Dog & Cat Owners Say No to AB 1634 Petition_
(http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ takeaction/ 414897802? ltl=1175923257)
OK to forward.
Joan
**********
Joan Miller
Member, CFA Board of Directors
CFA Legislative Coordinator
JMillerArt@aol. com
_www.cfa.org_ (http://www.cfa. org/)
www.cfa.org/ ezine
9.
Calif. AB 1634 - what it means for pedigreed cat breeds Posted by: "JMillerArt@aol. com" JMillerArt@aol. com jmillerart Sat Apr 7, 2007 1:53 am (PST)
Appropriate forwarding is encouraged.
Cat Fanciers;
It is apparent that many veterinarians, almost all shelter professionals, and even some fanciers are not aware of how devastating AB 1634 would be to the future of the historic and rare breeds of cats. This bill is not just a matter of breeders objecting to paying unknown/high fees for "intact permits". The bill would end the cat fancy in California and seriously harm the genepools of beautiful healthy well bred pedigreed cat breeds. These cats are ideal for those families or individuals who want the predictable characteristics of cats like the sweet gentle Persian, the lap-sitting Burmese or the high energy Abyssinian.
The conditions in AB 1634 (revision dated April 9, 2007) for exemptions from mandatory spay/neuter are such that those persons BREEDING PEDIGREED CATS COULD NOT COMPLY AT ALL.
Link to AB 1634, Revised draft dated April 9th, on the CFA website. _http://cfa.org/ exhibitors/ alerts.html_ (http://cfa.org/ exhibitors/ alerts.html)
Here is the problem;
ALL kittens/cats over the age of 4 months must be sterilized.
a. To get an "intact permit" - this is allowed for those cats/kittens meeting various conditions:
1. You need to have a business license, (home breeders are not in "business" and may not meet zoning or other requirements to operate as a "business" as these vary with each community.) AND be licensed as a breeder by the local jurisdiction or animal control. (But there is no requirement that the local jurisdiction MUST set up a breeder license program. Breeders, like anyone else, resent having government inspectors in their bedrooms looking for a litter of kittens. Breeder licensing is a money loser for jurisdictions that will not want to set up or enforce a breeder license scheme.)
OR
2. you have to meet ALL of three conditions
A. The cat has competed in at least one show within the last two years. (Impossible for a kitten since they can't be in a showhall until at least 4 months old by CFA rules and they are supposed to be sterilized before that age. All kittens would be in noncompliance. Most breeders wait to evaluate kittens for breeding potential until they are more mature. Some do not like early age altering as some breeds develop more slowly.)
B. The cat is of a "valid" breed recognized by an "approved" registry. (Any local entity we hope would approve CFA, but who knows.)
C. The cat has earned, or is in the process of earning, a TITLE (conformation, obedience, etc.) from an approved "purebred" registry or association. (If a cat doesn't like to show - too bad. If the cat is a tailed Manx and can't be shown - too bad. Many cats are valuable in breeding programs but cannot be shown for a variety of reasons or a breeder may not want to show for a variety of reasons including personal. Perhaps CFA will have to start awarding "Obedience Titles" for cats.)
OR
3. the dog is a guide dog, etc. (No way to meet this one.)
OR
4. the dog is trained and used by law enforcement, etc. (No way to meet
this one.)
OR
5. the owner provides a veterinarian' s letter stating due to age, poor
health or illness it is unsafe to spay/neuter the cat and saying when the cat
will be spayed/neutered. (This does not help a healthy breeding cat.)
b. In addition - if a cat were to somehow be able to get an "intact permit", when later the cat no longer meets the requirements above the cat must be spayed/neutered. (A show cat after winning "Cat of the Year" who is no longer being shown would have to be sterilized. When cats are proven to be of high quality by their show achievements then that is when they are valuable for a breeding program and should not be spayed/neutered ! Cats after showing normally do not go back to shows in the following years - they pass on their genes to offspring and then they become neutered pets.)
c. In addition -
1. The fee for an "intact permit" shall be "what is reasonably necessary" to fund the administration of this complicated, bureaucratic nightmare program. There is no tested law to know how much this might cost. Several jurisdictions are already proposing 150/cat/year. It could be an even higher excise tax.
2. The jurisdictions MAY adopt a permit differential fee that would qualify for an intact permit. (Some may do this, others may have a higher license fee and charge an additional fee for an "intact permit" that allows the cat to be used for breeding. There is great uncertainty. )
d. The worst of all -
No jurisdiction is prohibited from adopting a MORE restrictive spay/neuter "program". There will be jurisdictions unable to implement the complicated proof of show career, registry approving, title checking plan for dogs and xats. Others may not want to administer an expensive breeder license program. Many could simply say mandatory spay/neuter - NO EXCEPTIONS.
We know the agenda of the animal rights organizations in support of this bill is to eventually stop all purposeful breeding. But it is difficult to understand how the California Animal Control Directors Association (CACDA) would support diverting resources to a complicated breeder-hunter law. We wonder why the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) would want to see the historic and beautiful well tempered breeds of cats with rich history, like Persians, Siamese, Japanese Bobtails, Korats, Maine Coons, American Shorthairs, Russian Blues and so many others become EXTINCT. The cat fancy helps to educate and to raise the value of all cats. AB 1634 isn't necessary for communities to reduce the numbers of homeless cats in California shelters. Stopping the unchecked reproduction of unowned/freeroaming /feral cats is.
Joan Miller
CFA Legislative Coordinator
JMillerArt@aol. com
_www.cfa.org_ (http://www.cfa. org/)
www.cfa.org/ ezine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Linda Pollack Mercer, M.D.
President & Rescue Coordinator
CFA Purebred Rescue, Inc., http://cfapurebredr escue.org (501c3)
D/B/A Purebred Cat Breed Rescue, http://PurebredCats .org
Member, TICA Rescue Committee
Director, Operation Noble Foster, http://www.Operatio nNobleFoster. org
Moderator & Owner, The Persian Rescue Email list: http://pets. groups.yahoo. com/group/ Persian_Rescue/
Phone (rescue emergencies only please): (888) 303-9454 [toll free]
Email: <rescue@purebredcats .org>(@purebredcats. org)
