City needs to regulate cats

To the editor:

Recently it came to my attention that the city of Fairfield has not addressed the problem of feline neglect. What has occurred in this recent instance is a catfight, blown out of proportion, because it involved citizens fighting over cats. Approximately two years ago I addressed the issue, due to my own endeavor in successfully rescuing nine abandoned cats, only to have the remaining 20 to 25 forever to become feral cats. I was left with the impression that there would be a cat ordinance and that an animal enforcement position would be filled.

Some friends have attempted to do something about abandoned cats in their neighborhood. In an attempt to place a male cat in a cage, one friend was clawed and bitten. Suddenly neighbors were bent on ?rescuing? the cat and would not allow it to be trapped and quarantined. No protection existed for my friend, who is forced to undergo painful rabies shots. It is perfectly plausible that the cat reacted out of fear and does not have rabies. Nevertheless, because this could not be proven, my friend had to succumb to this remedy.

There is something wrong with this picture, when the city fails to protect felines and, most importantly, its citizens. When unreasonable people, i.e., those who would not allow the offending cat to be kept for a period of time to exclude the possibility of being rabid, can cause the infliction of pain, suffering and expense of a series of rabies injections, there is something terribly wrong with our laws, or lack thereof. It appears to me there is a vacuum in our thinking, when we refuse to protect animals and our citizens. Laws and ordinances are written to protect. We are sorely lacking in the ability to care, to have compassion and to take action.

Our failure to protect our feline friends calls for action. Our failure to protect our citizens from these animals is a direct result of the lack of concern or interest in our stray cat population.

By allowing the ?helping? neighbors to keep three of the abandoned cats most definitely assures there will be more unwanted cats, because they will have no interest in spaying and neutering.

Action needs to be taken to enable police to capture any animal that has harmed a person, so that quarantine is guaranteed. No one should have to undergo the series of rabies injections. It simply makes sense to empower someone with authority to intervene, when such an occurrence exists. Ignoring such a situation, leaving the outcome up to unreasonable people, saying nothing can be done is just unacceptable and should outrage and embarrass us all. Our city council, along with our city attorney, need to act on these matters and create a solution, so that those who are supposed to protect us can actually do so. It is inexcusable and intolerable to do nothing. 

? Ruby McPhail, Fairfield