Animal Control
Leash Laws Apply to Cats!!!!!
Does this mean you need to stress your cat out and try to leash train him/her
tonight? No! I do know a small number of patient cats (and owners) that have
success with a harness and leash. It takes time to get your cat accustomed to
this. So please do not leash up the cat and put it outside. It could panic,
entangle itself, choke or cut off blood supply to a leg, paw or tail. However,
Confinement is required. So just keep him/her indoors.
There are numerous health and safety reasons we have confinement laws for cats.
Please understand that MY first concern is for the cats, more importantly the
kittens born into neighborhoods every year. Feline Leukemia and Feline Immune
Deficiency virus (FIV) is highly contagious in outdoor reproducing cats. Upper
respiratory infections affect these cats in high numbers. Ruptured eyes are
common from eye infections that are never treated. Many cats are hit by cars,
poisoned, attacked by dogs, wildlife or hurt by humans. Over 1,000 cats are
euthanized in Campbell County every year. There is no holding time for cats in
our county. A cat can be put to sleep the day it arrives at the shelter. If you
think you are being responsible by finding homes for kittens your cat produces,
just think about the kittens at the shelter. You just took up a spot for one of
those. So for every kitten you place, the shelter just had to euthanize one.
My next concern is for the community. Citizens have the right to enjoy their
yards without the smell and contamination of cat urine and feces. People feeding
cats are not bothered by stool, because cats typically will not eliminate where
they reside and eat. They will urine mark (spray) anywhere. Also there are
diseases carried by cats that humans can contract from contact with infected
stool, urine or hair follicles. They never have to encounter the cat, just what
is left behind. Some of these problems such as “antibiotic resistant salmonella”
can cause a healthy adult to be hospitalized. A child or elderly person could,
in worst-case scenario, die. Toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects in a fetus,
stillbirths or even miscarriages. Ringworm is a fungal infection transmitted
through the hair follicle. Children are usually the ones that get it and pass it
around day cares, preschools and kindergarten.
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Cats are often roaming and rubbing elbows with your backyard wildlife. Your cat
or the cats you feed will be the most common vector (source) in transferring
rabies to humans. Rabies vaccinations are now required for cats (and ferrets) by
our Kentucky State Statutes. It has always been a requirement for dogs. State
laws are finally changing for cats after all these years to make people be more
responsible for them. _____________________________________________________
Free roaming cats fall into 4 categories:
1. Owned cats that are spayed/neutered and vaccinated. (These
are my favorite, however I still have to fine them for running at large. 1st
offence = $50. 2nd offence = $75 3rd offence = $100. After the 3rd offence we go
to court.)
2. Owned cats that are not spay/neutered or vaccinated. (Fines are the same as
above with an extra $50 for not being spayed/neutered. The city will reimburse
the $50 if you get your animal altered within 30 days. We feel this incentive
will help people see the importance of spaying and neutering as well as make the
offenders that are creating the problems bear more financial responsibility. Any
cat without a rabies vaccination will have to purchase a rabies voucher from the
shelter, if the cat is impounded, for $10. You can be cited to court if your cat
does not have a rabies vaccination (just like with a dog).
3. Stray, friendly cats that find food or are provided food by people with good
intentions, but no one claims them. If you are providing food for the animal it
is yours. You will receive citations for any cat you are feeding or that
cohabitates on your property. You are not helping the pet population or the
community by feeding cats. However, if you choose to bring the animal inside and
provide medical attention, that is great. Only feeding them is not doing a
justice for the cats. You are only providing the means to reproduce, fight and
spread disease.
4. Feral cats. These are cats that have never lived in a home with people and
have reverted to being “wild”. These cats cannot be placed into homes safely.
There are a few rescue groups that will spay/neuter and relocate to barns.
However, most will be euthanized to provide space for an adoptable cat.
Free roaming cats also bite and scratch people out of fear and aggression.
Sometimes a cat will just wiggle because a child tries to pick it up and may
hurt the child. It could just be out of play. We have cats in quarantine for
biting and scratching all the time. If you are supervising your cat or your cat
is kept indoors, mistaken identity and injuries caused by or to your cat cannot
happen.
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I would also like to encourage everyone to microchip his or her cat. There is no
holding time for cats in our county. However, every animal that enters the
shelter is scanned. This could save your cats life. Mistakes happen and indoor
cats escape. Consider getting your cat micro-chipped for only $10 at the
Campbell County Animal Shelter. 859-635-2819.
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Together we can reduce the euthanasia rates in our county. Keep your cats
indoors, spay and neuter your cats and call your Bellevue city building as soon
as a stray cat shows up at 859-431-8888, BEFORE they have a chance to reproduce
or invite friends to stay. Lets prevent homeless kittens from being produced. If
we work together we may have a home for every adoptable animal at the shelter
soon. Currently there are just more kittens being produced than there are homes
willing to adopt them.
Please visit the following website and watch the short video to learn more about
the pet overpopulation problem-
http://www.brightlion.com/InHope/InHope.aspx
If you would like to adopt a pet contact Campbell County Animal Shelter at
859-635-2819 or Stray Animal Adoption Program at 859-391-1234 or visit their
website at
www.adoptastray.com Volunteers and foster homes are always needed.
Respectfully,
Terri Baker
Animal Control Officer
Northern Kentucky Animal Control