discussion title:
Proposal for handling feral cats advance
My hometown is having an interesting debate on feral cats.
Opinions?
Charleston County has taken the first step toward approving a controversial program that would legalize free-roaming cats and clear the way for an initiative to trap, sterilize and release feral cats instead of euthanizing them.
The program is aimed at feral cats and cats with no owners, but the pending ordinance would allow any cat to roam free in Charleston County so long as it's been sterilized, vaccinated, microchipped for identification and ear-tipped to indicate those steps have been taken. The Charleston Animal Society and other groups hope the program will reduce feral cat populations over time by sterilizing captured cats.
However, the immediate effect could be returning 1,000 to 1,500 feral cats to the wild over the course of a year instead of euthanizing them, and that prospect has bird-oriented animal groups, including Audubon S.C. and the Cape Romain Bird Observatory, very concerned.
More..............
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/nov/05/proposal-for-handling-feral-cats-advances/
