Anne Arundel County passes Community Cat bill 96-17

Yesterday, Anne Arundel city council unanimously passed Bill 96-17 to provide humane guidelines for caring for feral cats. Over 20 people spoke at the December 18th meeting on this bill, largely in support. Alley Cat Rescue provided testimony to the city council explaining the importance of TNR and the state of the current feral cat problem in the area. Thank you to all of our amazing supporters who showed up and spoke in support of feral cats! It is important that local officials hear from their constituents and can make all the difference when the council members go to vote.

This bill will provide guidelines that allow for TNR in the county and help animal control officers and cat caregiver work together.

The bill’s sponsor, Council member John Grasso, explains the importance of the bill: “An established, stable, sterilized, and vaccinated colony of feral cats will deter other stray and feral cats from moving into the area. This decreases the risk that residents will encounter an unvaccinated cat, and will virtually eliminate problem behaviors like fighting, spraying, and yowling. Cats vaccinated against rabies also create a buffer zone between wildlife and the public, which greatly reduces the risk of contracting the disease,” he writes in his Facebook post.
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We look forward to more counties adopting humane guidelines such as these. Remember to reach out to your local councilmember and tell them your support TNR!

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