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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:	Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:	FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:	MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO

Created:	Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:	Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	5089
Total number of notes:	60366

250.0. "Should cats be leashed?" by TLE::SAVAGE (Neil, @Spit Brook) Sat May 17 1986 15:03

Associated Press Fri 16-MAY-1986 10:39                           

             Cat-Leashing Proposal Passes City Council Committee
    
                           By MELANIE MADER
                        Associated Press Writer
    
    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Cat owners may soon be required to leash their pets,
    despite howls of protest from some who said the plan is impractical and
    contrary to nature. The City Council's Public Safety and Health
    Committee approved an ordinance Thursday that would require cats to be
    leashed while outdoors. 
    
    The full Council will consider the ordinance, along with one that would
    require dangerous dogs to be confined, next Friday. The leashing
    ordinance, proposed by the city Health Department, also would require
    that cats be licensed, which would help the city pay the cost of
    impounding between 1,500 and 2,000 cats a year. 
    
    "You can't carry a cat on a leash when it's mousing. I beg you not to
    require that cats be on leashes in a yard," Jan May said during a
    public hearing before the 4-1 committee vote. "It is the nature of a
    cat to be unrestrained," said Anne Manty. "That is part of the charm of
    a cat. Cats, by their nature, cannot wear a collar and a leash." 
    
    But those who spoke in favor of the ordinance said cats were a public
    nuisance. "There's at least one cat in my neighborhood who is
    paper-trained," said Norman Heitz. "My paper. Every morning." 
    
    Other opponents of the ordinance said cats with license tags and
    collars would become snagged on fences. People also said the $100 fine
    for allowing a cat to roam free was too stiff a penalty. 
    
    But committee chairwoman Sandra Hilary, who owns a cat, said, "I have a
    hard time understanding why people who say they love their animals let
    them end up in dangerous predicaments." Ms. Hilary said five similar
    cat-leashing proposals have failed. 
    
    The committee also approved a requirement that dogs considered dangeros
    be kept in enclosed kennels. Under the proposal, a dog could be
    declared dangerous by anyone who had seen it display aggressive
    behavior. An earlier draft of the ordinance referred specifically to
    pit bull terriers, but the current proposal mentions no breed.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
250.1	Leash laws for cats ??? WHY ???	DSSDEV::COLLINS		`Wed May 21 1986 15:02`	19
	Hopefully such laws won't become common place. I can sympathize with people bothered by cats, although personally I have never been troubled by wandering cats. If a cat kept me away howling by my window I could see myself wanting such a law... Anyway I was startled to know that in New England many states don't have 24 hour leash laws for dogs!! I'm from Jersey and it was just unheard of to let your dog roam free. Cat's seem to be quite different than dogs though, they do provide the useful service of keeping the rodent population down (contrary to popular belief cats don't "feast" on birds, it's difficult for most cats to catch a bird). Cats are much smaller and less of a threat to someones safety than a large St. Bernard roaming the neighborhood for garbage. And on top of this cats are much more discrete with their feces (a big plus for homeowners who cut lawns). We keep our cats in at night (after losing two cats on overnight ventures). /harry
250.2	Yes, but...	STAR::NAMOGLU		`Thu May 22 1986 11:57`	8
	re: -1 Cats are more discrete with their feces. However, if they choose the flower garden that is right next to your front steps, it is just as disagreeable as if they choose the middle of your yard.
250.3		TLE::SAVAGE	Neil, @Spit Brook	`Sun May 25 1986 12:58`	39
	Associated Press Sat 24-MAY-1986 11:11 Cat Leashing Council Members Reject Proposal to Leash Cats MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Free-spirited felines may continue prowling city streets unfettered after the City Council decided not to put them on a leash. After long debate, the council passed an ordinance Friday that says cat owners must get a license for their pets, but are not required to get a leash for them. "I see hundreds of nice, tame, gentle cats licking their paws on front porches," said council member Brian Coyle, who argued against the leashing requirement. "Never once was I attacked by a cat," said council member Carol Johnson. Council member Walter Dziedzic said cats are free spirits that should be allowed to prowl freely on their "mission to catch mice." Only Sandra Hilary, who heads the council committee that recommended the ordinance, stood firm for cat leashing. All but one of the council members voted for the license ordinance, which will require cat owners to obtain a $10 annual license or face a fine of up to $100, beginning in February. In addition, people with more than three cats must get a special $40 permit from the city. The requirement is aimed at people who allow dozens of cats to live in their homes. Although cats can roam freely, dogs still are required to be leashed under an ordinance passed a few years ago. The council also approved an ordinance Friday that allows the city health department to label a dog dangerous and require such a dog to be kept on a leash no longer than three feet and muzzled when it is taken off its owner's property. The dog would have to be kept either in a house or in a pen with a six-foot-high fence and a top the dog would not be able to jump over. In an effort to crack down on barking dogs, council members also passed an ordinance that eliminates a requirement that four neighbors have to sign a petition before the city could fine the owner of a persistently barking dog.
250.4	Pitman is the pits -- for cat owners	TLE::SAVAGE	Neil, @Spit Brook	`Wed Oct 29 1986 13:01`	21
	Associated Press Tue 28-OCT-1986 22:39 Cat Ordinance Cat Fight Ends As Borough Passes Feline Ordinance PITMAN, N.J. (AP) - Beginning in January, cats in this southern New Jersey city will be living a dog's life. The borough council on Monday passed an ordinance subjecting cats to the same controls as dogs. From now on felines must wear collars with registration tags and be vaccinated against rabies. Strays will be impounded. Council President William Gauntt said the ordinance was proposed after more than 30 residents petitioned the borough, saying cats were digging up flowers and defecating on lawns. Police will respond to complaints until the county's animal shelter is completed next year, he said. Councilman Bruce Ware said the ordinance was too harsh and inhumane and ridiculed a section that says cats in heat must stay on the owner's property or be impounded. He said he wondered how police would check. Fines for violations range from $25 to $50 and may include up to 30 days in jail.
250.5	Good for Pitman!	LAIDBK::SHERRICK	Molly :^)	`Wed Oct 29 1986 15:44`	27
	I think it's only fair to institute a ruling such as this! There is currently a greater problem with rabies in cats than in dogs! If we want to slow this disease down, we've got to start controling it! Anoyone who has an outdoor cat should have it vaccinated for rabies. There is now a three year vaccine available for cats. I have had my indoor cats vaccinated against rabies. As for the other sections of the ordinance, I think it might be difficult to tell if a female is in heat, who decides anyway? Oftern a vet can't tell conclusively. I think that it would be great to force people to keep their females in heat indoors for the duration if there were a way, though. There are altogether too many unwanted strays. Not everyone is as responsible as the participants of this file! Leashes? Well it's too bad you can't keep your cat in a fenced yard, they're just too good at climbing, and jumping. I also think that the fixed outdoor leads are dangerous for cats. I knew someone whose cat hung itself using such a lead. Regular leashes for the daily walk? Why not? It's mostly a matter of getting the kitty used to it. a lot of dogs don't like it either, but if the animal would miss being outdoors, it might be a good idea. There really ARE alot of 'nuisance' cats (as well as dogs) around, and the major difference (and the reason, I suspect we haven't seen this kind of legislation much) between them is that cats aren't normally considered dangerous. The very fact that we consider them 'friendly' could contribute to the spread of rabies, and the proliferation of 'unwanted' kittens.
250.6	Sure wish Nashua would do the same	CLUSTA::TAMIR		`Wed Oct 29 1986 16:44`	20
	I sure wish Nashua would adopt that same ordiance! In Nashua, cats are un-regulated and un-controlled by the Animal Control Officers. As I had mentioned in a previous note, I have a very bad problem with stray (no, make it wild) cats in my neighborhood. Because the police are under no obligation to assist in this matter, it is up to me to get the old Havahart trap out, bait it, and trap the poor kitties. I admit that I am probably contributing to my individual problem by providing lots of food and shelter for the entire cat population in my area, but I can't stand to see them hungry and cold. Every year, I go thru my ritual of trapping and bringing them to the shelter. This year is an especially bad year as I estimate having about 20 cats that are regulars at the buffet on my deck. There are probably more than that around, but I've about lost count! I wish I had some help with controlling this problem, but none is available. So, from now to whenever, I spend my weekends setting up the trap and hope I can some day have the feeling that they are all better off than they would be freezing thru the winter. Mary