Niles preparing law to reduce cats

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Both short- and long-term solutions were offered to deal with the cat population.

By TIM YOVICH

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

NILES – Legislation will be prepared requiring all cats to licensed and spayed or neutered to help reduce the cat population in the city.

Councilman Thomas Scarnecchia, D-at-large, chairman of the safety committee, called for the legislative requirements during a committee meeting today.

Scarnecchia made the decision during a meeting with committee members Councilmen Michael A. Lastic, D-at-large, and Ted Papas, D-2nd, and groups of animal rights activists and residents who have had problems with cats on their properties.

"This is only a start," Scarnecchia said, noting that Law Director Terry Dull will put together a draft ordinance that will be discussed again by the committee at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in the administration building.

This is the second time city council has tried the curb the cat population.

"This time, we're going to have legislation even if it kills me," Scarnecchia commented.

Barbara Busko, president of the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County, told the committee it was going in the right direction to curb the problem.

Scarnecchia backed away from limiting the number of cats a resident can own.

Even David Burns of Oxford Avenue, who complained of cats urinating on his porch and leaving a foul odor, opposed a limit on ownership. He noted that people have a right to own as many as they want.

The difficulty that emerged during the meeting is that the majority of cat owners take care of their pets and don't allow them to stray.

But the irresponsible owners, some pointed out at the meeting, won't get the licenses or have their pets spayed or neutered.

Busko said the legislation should include a prohibition on their being kept outside, a licensing fee to fund cat control and mandatory spayed and neutering.

Wilma Crawford of Warren, a member of Cats are People Too, said cats can injure themselves if they have to wear a collar with an identification tag, and said implanting a computer chip under the cat's skin is expensive.

How the licensing would be done by the city and who would be responsible hasn't been determined.

Busko, who admitted being a "bleeding heart" when it comes to animals, said local governments are responsible for cat overpopulation because no action has been taken to control it.

One suggestion of trapping cats, neutering them and returning them to a neighborhood will control the population in the long run because the cats will eventually die off. That could take eight to 10 years.

Burns, however, wants a more immediate resolution such as trapping them. If the cat's owner can be identified, the owner should be fined. If not, the cat should be destroyed, he maintained.

yovich@vindy.com

Wednesday, September 27, 2006