City Council in Iowa

Here's an article I just read that I wanted to share. I think the photographs and the letters are a little ridiculous...



Iowa City Fines People Who Feed Stray Cats

(AP) CLERMONT, Iowa
The city isn't going to pussyfoot around when it comes to stray cats. The City Council has decided that anyone who feeds the cuddly creatures are aiding a nuisance.

Mayor Rodney Wagner says police could photograph people who feed stray cats and violators could be sent letters warning them of the consequences and be fined.

Police Chief Arthur Sullivan said people don't understand the problem.

"People find those cats sweet, cuddly and lovable," he said. "It's one of those situations that you're not going to win no matter what you do."

Nonetheless, Sullivan said something needs to be done. The trick will be finding a solution.

"We have people who feed the wild cats and the cats leave something behind," he said. "One guy won't be able to use his hot tub."

Oh, freakin' cry...he can't use his hot tub. How about changing that to "feeding ferals & strays without neutering them is irresponsible and aiding a nuisance". TNR will take care of a plethora of those problems.

i live in iowa and read that in the newspaper the other day also. u would think they could find better ways not fair the cats didnt ask to be on the streets so we just starve them????? not sure if any place in iowa has a tnr the town i live in doesnt but there is a vet in town who will spay,neuter for $25 thats his normal price and thats very cheap so as far as im concerned if u own a animal there isnt ANY reason why u cant get them fixed.

Originally Posted by april31

i live in iowa and read that in the newspaper the other day also. u would think they could find better ways not fair the cats didnt ask to be on the streets so we just starve them????? not sure if any place in iowa has a tnr the town i live in doesnt but there is a vet in town who will spay,neuter for $25 thats his normal price and thats very cheap so as far as im concerned if u own a animal there isnt ANY reason why u cant get them fixed.

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There are only 2 groups that Alley Cat Allies lists:

http://www.alleycat.org/orgs.html#ia

Katie

Originally Posted by Jenny82

Police Chief Arthur Sullivan said people don't understand the problem.
.............The trick will be finding a solution.
"We have people who feed the wild cats and the cats leave something behind," he said. "One guy won't be able to use his hot tub."

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I have a suggestion - how 'bout a new police chief since he's obviously one of the main people who "doesn't understand the problem". And of course, he had to mention that cats defecate - as if he has no need of toilet paper

I don't think I'm that far from Claremont. I'm sure I could take a drive down there & let that guy know what us cat lovers think.

Is it just me, or is the obvious solution TNR & finding HOMES for these cats? Or do you just let them wander & multiply?

I had a problem with what turned into a rather large colony of ferals around where I used to live. It was a large community of rental townhouses and an elderly lady in the building next to me started feeding what were probably strays left behind so they all congregated there. There were enough of them that hadn't been fixed so things progressed very rapidly. The problem I had with it was that from early spring to fall there was always at least one female in heat. It was a separate town but bordered on Columbus OH so I called animal control in the town I lived in and they just told me they did nothing about cats only dogs. At the time I didn't know anything about TNR and I have since moving found out there is a group in the area called Colony Cats that does that. Animal Control said nothing to me about this group nor did they call them, they simply told me they did nothing about cats.

Jenny82- The best antidote to nonsense like this article is education. Too many people don't know about the serious problem of cat overpopulation and its humane solution: TNR.

The best thing to do would be to write a very informative letter to the editor of the local Clermont paper. Explain the tragedy of abandoned cats and how it can be avoided simply by being responsible and spaying/neutering pet cats.

TNR is still a concept some people are unaware of, which is why all too often lethal methods are the first thing to come to mind when people complain about "nuisance" cats.

Who knows how many people in that area would like to help the cats, but just aren't aware of the resources available (as Denice mentioned in her post) or how to get started. A letter to the editor should include the names of rescue groups and/or vets willing to help with strays so people know who to contact.

Chief Sullivan's remark is ominous:"The trick will be finding a solution".
If, as the article says, there are people "feeding the wildcats", chances are some of those people will go that extra step to truly help the cats by having them TNR'd. TNR is the humane solution. People need to know that option exists.