Sorry it's long but I thought I would share what I read in the paper today! I think this is such a good idea. I can't imagine how many lost cats are put to sleep before the owner even has a chance to really look for them. Does anyone know of other cities that do this?
Akron may help cats get to homes
City would buy chips to implant in felines so owners can be found
By Julie Wallace
Beacon Journal staff writer
Online poll: Should the city of Akron spend $10,000 for microchips to help find cats?
Never fear, wayward kitty. Help is on the way.
The city -- pending the City Council's approval -- plans to spend nearly $10,000 to make certain at least 1,000 cats can find their way home.
That money will buy microchips, which will be implanted beneath the felines' fur, to provide a permanent identification tag for cats that wander away from home. A simple scan of the chip, and the cat's owner will be identified via a voluntary registry to be maintained by the city.
Councilwoman Renee Greene, D-4, introduced the legislation Monday, which amends the city's controversial cat law that was passed about 18 months ago. The changes, she said, were formulated from the feedback the city received and will ensure ``the animal kingdom is well represented and protected by this City Council.''
Public hearings regarding the proposed changes will be at 2:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 23 in the council's chambers on the third floor of City Hall.
The original cat law, which simply added cats to the city's laws governing dogs, gave the city's animal wardens the right to capture free-roaming felines, which can be killed if they aren't claimed from the Summit County animal shelter. The shelter already has the scanners that would be used on the microchips.
To say the law's passage got the fur flying wouldn't do justice to the uproar that followed.
Cat lovers protested in front of City Hall and before the council -- sometimes wearing cat costumes or masks and carrying cat stuffed animals. They corralled support from feline fanciers from around the world after word of the law spread via a Web site they established, and they led the efforts to get the council besieged by outraged e-mails from far-flung residents who'd probably never before heard of Akron.
In addition, a nonprofit group formed to fight the law, Citizens for Humane Animal Practices or CHAP, filed a lawsuit against the city, which is set to go to trial May 17 in Summit County Common Pleas Court.
The legislation introduced Monday adds the owners' registry as well as a $10 penalty to be paid by owners whose cats are picked up and returned to them.
In addition, the city also plans to host four, low-cost or no-cost spay-and-neuter clinics during the year and in subsequent years, said Jeff Fusco, the city's deputy service director who worked on the plans.
Fusco said the fees are still in flux but the city most likely will charge about $10 for the microchips, which are about the size of a grain of rice.
They will be implanted with the help of the Summit County Veterinary Medical Association, which also is working with the city for the clinics.
That's far below the $70 to $120 that the chips normally cost, and the registry will be maintained for free -- also freeing up the annual maintenance fee most owners have to pay.
At the clinics, cat owners who meet federal guidelines for poverty will be able to have their pets -- as long as the number is within reason -- treated for free, Fusco said. Details on the clinics will be announced later.
Attorney Polly Grunfeld Sack, who is representing CHAP, said Monday she was grateful that the city was at least taking a look at the law. She applauded the city's plan for the spaying and neutering clinics -- saying that effort, rather than the microchipping -- is the way to address the city's cat problem.
Sack said 1,000 microchips cover only a fraction of the cats out there -- meaning those belonging to owners who aren't among the lucky 1,000 and who are unable to afford the expense on their own still face the risk of being captured and killed.
``Certainly, it's a step in the right direction... but there are so many better ways to spend that money,'' Sack said. ``I don't want to fault the city for anything, but it still doesn't deal with the fatal flaws in their ordinance. This indeed is a Band-Aid.
``The low-cost spay and neuter is starting to get to the problem -- that's the only effective way to deal with free-roaming cats.''
Mayor Don Plusquellic said the city -- unlike what has been said -- isn't doing anything different than many communities across the country in regards to its animal overpopulation and that people ``have blown this out of proportion.''
He said the program introduced Monday will help those pet owners who are struggling financially -- fulfilling the city's responsibility to ensure responsible pet owners don't lose their animals.
``We think we're fulfilling our obligation,'' he said. ``They've developed the worst-case scenario, and we're trying to prevent that.''
In other business Monday, the council approved the $186 million capital budget, which spells out the projects on the table for the year.
The budget, which rose by $3 million from its initial allowance due to carryover projects from 2003, includes the newly added plan to create a dog park on Memorial Parkway, across from Hickory Street.
Dogs will be allowed to roam off-leash within the fenced-in area of the park once it is established, which could be as soon as this summer. The move follows the lead of 14 other cities in Ohio, which already have set up similar dog-specific areas.
Akron may help cats get to homes
City would buy chips to implant in felines so owners can be found
By Julie Wallace
Beacon Journal staff writer
Online poll: Should the city of Akron spend $10,000 for microchips to help find cats?
Never fear, wayward kitty. Help is on the way.
The city -- pending the City Council's approval -- plans to spend nearly $10,000 to make certain at least 1,000 cats can find their way home.
That money will buy microchips, which will be implanted beneath the felines' fur, to provide a permanent identification tag for cats that wander away from home. A simple scan of the chip, and the cat's owner will be identified via a voluntary registry to be maintained by the city.
Councilwoman Renee Greene, D-4, introduced the legislation Monday, which amends the city's controversial cat law that was passed about 18 months ago. The changes, she said, were formulated from the feedback the city received and will ensure ``the animal kingdom is well represented and protected by this City Council.''
Public hearings regarding the proposed changes will be at 2:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 23 in the council's chambers on the third floor of City Hall.
The original cat law, which simply added cats to the city's laws governing dogs, gave the city's animal wardens the right to capture free-roaming felines, which can be killed if they aren't claimed from the Summit County animal shelter. The shelter already has the scanners that would be used on the microchips.
To say the law's passage got the fur flying wouldn't do justice to the uproar that followed.
Cat lovers protested in front of City Hall and before the council -- sometimes wearing cat costumes or masks and carrying cat stuffed animals. They corralled support from feline fanciers from around the world after word of the law spread via a Web site they established, and they led the efforts to get the council besieged by outraged e-mails from far-flung residents who'd probably never before heard of Akron.
In addition, a nonprofit group formed to fight the law, Citizens for Humane Animal Practices or CHAP, filed a lawsuit against the city, which is set to go to trial May 17 in Summit County Common Pleas Court.
The legislation introduced Monday adds the owners' registry as well as a $10 penalty to be paid by owners whose cats are picked up and returned to them.
In addition, the city also plans to host four, low-cost or no-cost spay-and-neuter clinics during the year and in subsequent years, said Jeff Fusco, the city's deputy service director who worked on the plans.
Fusco said the fees are still in flux but the city most likely will charge about $10 for the microchips, which are about the size of a grain of rice.
They will be implanted with the help of the Summit County Veterinary Medical Association, which also is working with the city for the clinics.
That's far below the $70 to $120 that the chips normally cost, and the registry will be maintained for free -- also freeing up the annual maintenance fee most owners have to pay.
At the clinics, cat owners who meet federal guidelines for poverty will be able to have their pets -- as long as the number is within reason -- treated for free, Fusco said. Details on the clinics will be announced later.
Attorney Polly Grunfeld Sack, who is representing CHAP, said Monday she was grateful that the city was at least taking a look at the law. She applauded the city's plan for the spaying and neutering clinics -- saying that effort, rather than the microchipping -- is the way to address the city's cat problem.
Sack said 1,000 microchips cover only a fraction of the cats out there -- meaning those belonging to owners who aren't among the lucky 1,000 and who are unable to afford the expense on their own still face the risk of being captured and killed.
``Certainly, it's a step in the right direction... but there are so many better ways to spend that money,'' Sack said. ``I don't want to fault the city for anything, but it still doesn't deal with the fatal flaws in their ordinance. This indeed is a Band-Aid.
``The low-cost spay and neuter is starting to get to the problem -- that's the only effective way to deal with free-roaming cats.''
Mayor Don Plusquellic said the city -- unlike what has been said -- isn't doing anything different than many communities across the country in regards to its animal overpopulation and that people ``have blown this out of proportion.''
He said the program introduced Monday will help those pet owners who are struggling financially -- fulfilling the city's responsibility to ensure responsible pet owners don't lose their animals.
``We think we're fulfilling our obligation,'' he said. ``They've developed the worst-case scenario, and we're trying to prevent that.''
In other business Monday, the council approved the $186 million capital budget, which spells out the projects on the table for the year.
The budget, which rose by $3 million from its initial allowance due to carryover projects from 2003, includes the newly added plan to create a dog park on Memorial Parkway, across from Hickory Street.
Dogs will be allowed to roam off-leash within the fenced-in area of the park once it is established, which could be as soon as this summer. The move follows the lead of 14 other cities in Ohio, which already have set up similar dog-specific areas.
