Posted on 03/11/2008 2:31:40 AM PDT by Daffynition
Randolph, Iowa (KPTM) - An Iowa mayor takes extreme measures to get wild cats off the streets.
It's a plan that's drawing a lot of criticism.
It's usually quiet on Main Street in Randolph, Iowa.
But, drive a few blocks north and west and it's not long before you see one stray cat after another.
"There's been a cat problem in this town for 11 years," says Randolph resident Sam Lupo.
Lupo says he owns two cats, the rest of the two or three random cats running around in the yard are strays.
"They're not wanted around here, they run around become a nuisance, get into trash and tear it up," says Lupo.
After several complaints Randolph city leaders are now asking for help.
The mayor's plan, is to put a bounty on all cats, so if you can lure one to you and catch it, it'll earn you five bucks.
Any stray cat or dog that doesn't have tags or a collar will be taken to a Sidney vet and put down.
"Either people keep their cats in or like dogs, if they keep 'em under control we shouldn't have a problem, it's just the stray ones and cats propagate quite frequently," says Randolph city councilman Allen Wendland.
Chasidy Wederquist calls the plan ridiculous.
"As a person who likes animals I don't think a bounty is the best thing for them to do."
She agrees there's a cat problem, but says killing them is not the answer.
"I think the county here should get something here, get a (animal control) department like Omaha and Council Bluffs," says Wederquist.
Dozens more agree.
Outraged community members vented their disgust on the city's community web site, calling the bounty inhumane and a danger to family pets.
City leaders disagree.
"There's not much of a bounty on 'em to where people are gonna make a lot of money on it," says Wendland.
If the city can identify the animal as a pet, it will be returned to the owner.
But, the big concern some people have, you won't be able to tell if it's someone's pet or not.
Even some animal rescue groups are scared people will take pets, pull off their collars just so they can get the money.
The city council meeting in Randolph is Thursday.
You can vent your concerns there. Councilman Wendland says no one has called him to complain and he says no cats have been turned in so far.
Buy a pair of coyotes, they will handle the problem in a couple of weeks.
...or fisher cats.
Hadn’t thought of a pole cat in years. I remember once hunting and one let out a scream that scared me out my boots.
Thought they had disappeared.
Animal rescue groups are not looking at the bounty. Doesn’t matter if they have a collar or not, a person still gets the money if they turn them in. Someone who lets their cat roam around will get the message if their cat ends up at a vet and they get a call.
Just turn some pitbulls loose. They’ll take care of those cats!
And then turn Michael Vick lose to take take care of the pit bulls.
What an a$$.
lol Go Mike Go!
BAHAHAHAHAA!
Don’t most animals have a tracking chip implanted in them these days?
Wouldn’t it be easier to just scan them and not worry about the collars?
ping
Well, Lupo, feed them so they'll stay out of the trash.
Find a vet that will spay and neuter them at low cost.
Once someone is around animals, those dumb critters are only dumb in that we have different languages, as we people have...
First, I like cats. I was raised on a farm where we had several and when we moved to town we brought some of them with us. They are great company.
However!
There is a lady in our neighborhood that feeds all the wild cats in the area. I have counted as many as 30 cats in her driveway, on her porch, on her car, coming out of culverts, coming out of dens in the bank beside the hospital on the corner, etc.
We have had these cats get in our garbage, dig in and crap in our flower beds, crap on our porch, and fight and hurt the domesticated cats in the neighborhood.
Our town has an animal control officer but that is a joke. He is much too busy to take care of a problem like wild cats.
If there was a bounty on wild cats in our town I would live trap them. As it is we have a nasty problem with no solution.
The cat lover won't quit feeding them, they won't stop breeding, and the town won't remove them.
I support this type of action.
"You're ugly and no one loves you! You call yourself a cat?? You're a PUSSY! I've seen MICE with bigger claws!"
Trap neuter and release. In time the problem goes away. There are vets and groups who do this too.
I rescue cats and the thought of this is not pleasant.
Oh yeah, it has been proven that cats do NOT decimate the bird population either.
I do support keeping cats indoors though.
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