A North Carolina city is cracking down on free-roaming cats and warning pet owners to keep their kitties on a leash outside or face fines.
Cary, North Carolina, a city of 176,000 located in the suburbs of Raleigh, has had an ordinance in place for more than half a century requiring all household pets, including cats, to be on a leash whenever they are off the property. of its owner.
Similar rules exist in other Wake County towns and cities across the state.
But Cary’s leash law caused a stir on social media earlier this week after the city’s Animal Services reminded residents on its Facebook page that “cats must be leashed when not on property.” your owner”.
The local agency listed some of the risks of allowing cats to run wild, including the fact that the popular pets kill a staggering number of birds each year, are the number one predator of small mammals and can transmit diseases to both the wildlife as well as humans.
Pet owners in Cary, North Carolina should keep their cats on a leash if the animals are off their property. Yulia – stock.adobe.com
“The safest thing you can do for an outdoor cat is to teach it to be a house cat,” Animal Services said. “Indoor cats generally live longer, won’t be hit by cars or be at risk of injury from other animals.”
Tens of thousands of households in Cary have at least one cat. Each year, Animal Services receives about 1,000 calls about stray or feral cats or litters of kittens, Supervisor Chuck Haggist told the News & Observer.
“With cats, they don’t need to be leashed on your property, but once they get onto a neighbor’s property, that’s where the problem arises,” Haggist said.
Cary has had a leash ordinance for more than 50 years. carync.gov
Owners caught violating the leash rule can face fines ranging from $20 to $250, depending on the number of violations.
In the fifth violation, a cat caught walking without a leash could be apprehended and taken to a shelter, where its owner would have to reclaim it for a fee.
Haggist said that while her agency does not actively search for loose cats, it urges pet owners to understand the dangers to the cats themselves and those around them.
“Coyotes are killing cats; there are hawks and owls,” Haggist said. “The life expectancy of an outdoor cat is about half that of an indoor cat.”
Cary Animal Services reminded residents Monday to keep their cats inside or leashed outside, under penalty of fines. Cary Animal Services/Facebook
Despite their relatively small size, cats are very skilled predators, hunting birds, lizards and other small critters.
The American Bird Conservancy has previously said that cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds in the United States alone each year.
Cat owners have the option of building outdoor enclosures, called “catios,” to keep their curious kitties confined to their property while they enjoy nature, or installing invisible fences like those commonly used for dogs.
Cary, North Carolina, is a city of 176,000 people located in the suburbs of Raleigh. David – stock.adobe.com
However, not everyone in Cary agrees with the crackdown on cats.
In 2019, one resident, who noted that he does not own a cat, started an online petition, asking the Cary City Council to repeal the leash ordinance because “it is antithetical to the nature of cats to be on a leash.”
The Change.org petition has been signed by 267 like-minded cat lovers.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn