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Cat licensing meets opposition

By Colin DeVries

CATSKILL — A forum hosted Tuesday night attempted to answer the question that has been lingering over the heads of many pet owners in recent weeks: How can one constrain the animal instinct that exists in domesticated felines either ethically, legally or physically?

A petition bearing 83 signatures was presented to village officials, opposing the licensing of cats. The signatures were obtained from various neighborhoods in the village from Summit Avenue to West Bridge Street and Grandview Avenue.

The general consensus in the hall of the Washington Irving Senior Center concluded that the issue of controlling cats is a complicated one — but there is one proven strategy to help reduce the population of feral cats, TNR, or trap, neuter, and return.

“Your community, with the cat crisis you experience, you’re not the only one, that happens all over the world in every community and there is a solution,” said Katrin Heckler, director of the Hudson-based not-for-profit organization Animalkind.

That solution was, as Heckler demonstrated via a video presentation, to spay and neuter your pets, as well as the many cats that roam freely in the village community.

The cat controversy, which stemmed from one property owner’s discontent, has created an uproar of passion from fed up property owners who say the cat problem has become too hard to handle.

Village President Vincent Seeley said that he had received approximately 30 e-mails in support of a village requirement to have cats spayed, neutered or registered.

“I was surprised (by the feedback),” Seeley said. “It’s not an epidemic but if 30 people spoke up, it’s probably about 60 or 100.”

James White of Summit Avenue had originally raised concern about his neighbor’s cats and the effect they’ve had on his property and way of life.

“This is about cats gone wild!” White declared as the conversation heated up over the presence of rampant feral cats in his neighborhood.

White has been fighting to preserve his rights as a property owner and believes that his neighbors cats should be controlled and kept off his land.

Heckler said that the only solution that has been proven to reduce the amount of feral, as well as cats that stray onto others property, is the TNR technique.

“Unfortunately there is no perfect solution but there are some solutions,” said Heckler. “There’s fencing, there are certain kinds of citrus smells they don’t like but there’s no guarantee. I mean there’s no way that if you choose to live in an environment where there are trees and grass that you will not have something happening in your backyard... there’s no way that it will be avoided or there’s any solution that a cat won’t go into your backyard.”

She did stress, however, that there are some things that a property owner can do to help the situation.

A handout was made available at the meeting, “How to Live with Cats in Your Neighborhood” provided by Alley Cat Allies of Bethesda, MD. Here are a few abridged strategies for specific issues:

n “Cats lounging in my yard or on my porch”: Use cat repellent, motion-activated water sprinkler, or ultrasonic animal repellent

n “Cats are digging in my garden”: Scatter citrus peels or spray with citrus fragrances, plant herb rue, plastic carpet runners or chicken wire in dirt with sharp edges rolled under

n “Cats are sleeping under my porch or in my shed”: Physically block or seal entrances, provide alternate shelter

n “There are cat paw prints and/or scratches on my car”: Move shelters and feeding stations to secluded area, use car cover

n “I smell cat urine”: Spray area with white vinegar or other non-toxic products, ensure cats are neutered.

There are numerous other ways to deal with these types of complaints, and more, at the Alley Cat Allies Web page, www.alleycat.org.

While the issue of cat licensing is by no means off the table for Seeley and the village trustees, there has been a sense that residents are becoming more engaged and actively seeking solutions to the growing problem.

There are over 60 million feral cats nationwide, with one un-altered pair of cats able to produce 67,000 cats within six years.

The best solution, which has been scientifically proven, has been the tag line of Bob Barker at the end of every “Price Is Right” episode: “Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered.”

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