UTAH LEGISLATORS REVIVE BILL PROVISION TO LEGALIZE SHOOTING OF CATS

Alley Cat Allies calls on supporters to oppose dangerous legislation

BETHESDA, MD — Alley Cat Allies, the national advocate for stray and feral cats, today renewed calls to oppose legislation that would legalize the shooting of cats in Utah.

Utah House Bill 210 was amended on the floor of the Utah House of Representatives, after the House Judiciary Committee removed earlier language that allowed for the shooting or killing of cats when that version was roundly criticized for endorsing animal cruelty. The amended version would still permit the shooting of cats in rural areas of the state. Feral cats are currently protected under Utah anti-cruelty law.

“This dangerous legislation imperils the lives of all cats—pet, stray and feral,” said Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies. “It is barbaric and essentially declares ‘open-season’ on any outdoor cat.

“Feral cats exist in every landscape—from rural to urban. Feral cats are not a threat to people—in fact, they are just as healthy as pet cats. It is irrational, dangerous, and in direct opposition to society’s values to endorse shooting cats,” she said.

Feral cats are domestic cats, but unlike pets, they are not socialized to people and are therefore unadoptable. Numerous communities across the U.S. have adopted Trap-Neuter-Return as official policy for feral cats after decades of the failure of catch and kill.

Robinson noted that all cats are protected under anti-cruelty statutes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

“Anti-cruelty laws have existed for over a hundred years to protect animals and our communities from violent people,” she said.

Alley Cat Allies is urging supporters to contact their lawmakers to stop House Bill 210 by visiting www.alleycat.org/ActionCenter. To learn more about how feral cats are protected under anti-cruelty laws, visit www.alleycat.org/AntiCruelty.

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About Alley Cat Allies

Alley Cat Allies is the nation’s leading advocate for stray and feral cats. Their web site is www.alleycat.org.

Snowflake Needs A Home! (Boston area)

SNOWFLAKE

Snowflake was seen in our yard for at least a year before we took her into our home to spare her being outdoors during this difficult winter. The Cat Connection trapped her about a year ago and had her spayed, tested and vaccinated, but because she was an adult considered too old to be tamed, she was returned to the neighborhood, where we think she was living under someone else's deck. For the past few weeks, she has been coming into our yard and we have been feeding her wet food. She became so friendly and tame that we started to pick her up, pet her, and eventually bring her indoors.

Snowflake has since had another veterinary appointment. She is perfectly healthy and is negative for FIV/leukemia. She seems completely comfortable with people once she gets used to them (at first when a stranger comes here to meet her, she is nervous and hides for a while, because the first time strangers came into our home to see her, they stuffed her in a cat carrier and took her to the vet!). Once she knows you and is comfortable, she loves to be picked up and cuddled, and to play with toys. She loves company and would probably be happiest in a home with another friendly, playful cat, and where she wasn't left totally alone all day. She purrs a lot and is very playful. She uses her litter box and tolerates the other cats in the household well. We think she is about two years old, but she plays like a kitten.

Snowflake is so sweet that we wish we could keep her, but we already have four cats, and one of them is older and doesn't want us to add a fifth to the mix. So we are looking for a loving, happy home for this pretty girl who deserves a forever home.

Email OurPlacetoPaws(at)aol.com if you are interested in giving a loving, happy, indoor home to this pretty cat!

Today's Dose of Cute

ALLEY CAT ALLIES RESPONDS TO FEDERAL AGENCY PLAN TO “TRAP AND REMOVE” CATS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Assessment is based on flawed science, would result in cats’ deaths

BETHESDA, MD — Alley Cat Allies, the national advocate for stray and feral cats, said a proposed plan by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to trap and remove cats in the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges will not succeed in protecting other species and will result in cats’ deaths.

In comments submitted to the agency, Alley Cat Allies said the plan is not viable, nor is it based on good science.

“As animal advocates, we want what is best for all the animals of the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, the Fish and Wildlife Service Draft Environmental Assessment is not it,” said Alley Cat Allies president Becky Robinson.

“The plan is based on a deeply flawed interpretation of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) research and several studies were omitted. Similar plans by the agency have already killed feral, stray and pet cats, with no benefit whatsoever,” she said.

Alley Cat Allies also notes that the agency relies on highly biased sources in criticizing TNR, and that it ignores a successful and ongoing TNR program just miles from the refuges in Key Largo.

The plan relies on “trap and remove” for cats—a costly and inefficient approach that has already failed in the Florida Keys and elsewhere.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is misleading the public by not acknowledging that the cats will be killed. It calls it a ‘trap and remove’ plan, but trapped cats will be brought to the local shelter where they will be killed,” said Robinson.

Feral cats are not socialized to people and are therefore not adoptable. Virtually 100 percent of feral cats who are brought to shelters are killed there.

To download a full-text version of the comments submitted by Alley Cat Allies to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, , visit www.alleycat.org.

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About Alley Cat Allies

Alley Cat Allies is the nation’s leading advocate for stray and feral cats. Their web site is www.alleycat.org.




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