Keep Our Feline Friends Safe Presented By: Animal Control Officer Kim Stambaugh

There are more than 90 million pet cats in the U.S., the majority of which roam outside at least part of the time. In addition, millions of stray and feral cats roam our cities, suburbs, and rural areas. Scientists estimate that free- roaming cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians each year. Cat predation is an added stress to wildlife populations already struggling to survive habitat loss, pollution, pesticides, and other human impacts The Problem

Owner’s Responsibility – All Cats and Dogs must wear Rabies Tag, without tags they are considered “Feral” –Feral – shall mean any susceptible domestic animal living in the wild state, including, but not limited to, any dog or cat without rabies tag or other acceptable identification as approved by the Board of Health.

Consequences Civil Liability Injury Bites Scratching Property Destruction

Consequences Cont… * Free-roaming cats are more likely to be: –Hit by cars –Attacked by other animals –Exposed to Human Cruelty –Stolen or lost –Diseased

Cars – Millions of cats are run over by cars each year from seeking warmth, outdoor cats crawl into car engines and are killed or maimed when the car is restarted. Motorist risk accidents in attempting to avoid free-roaming cats. Animal Attacks – Torn ears, scratched eyes, abscesses, internal injuries, diseases, and sometimes death result from encounters with dogs, other cats, and wild animals like raccoons, coyotes and foxes. Human Cruelty - Each year, animal shelters and veterinarians treat cats who have been shot, stabbed, or set on fire. Unsupervised cats may also be captured and sold to research laboratories or used as “bait” to train fighting dogs. Overpopulation - Unaltered free-roaming cats are the single most important cause of cat overpopulation. As a result, millions of cats for whom there are no homes must be euthanized each year. Disease - Cats allowed outdoors risk exposure to fatal diseases, including rabies, feline leukemia, distemper, and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Vaccines are not 100 percent effective. Consequences Cont…

In Westerville… –When a cat is found and appears to be a pet The cat may be taken to a shelter temporarily –However, shelters are typically over- crowded, which means many stray cats are unfortunately euthanized. Consequences

Solutions Make your cat an indoor cat Fencing License and chipping

How to make your cat a Happy Indoor Cat Each year, millions of cats are run over by cars, mauled by dogs, poisoned and lost. Today’s cat owners face an important decision “Should I keep my cat indoors”? For your cat and your neighborhood, the answer is “YES”! The average life expectancy of an outdoor cat is two to five years, while an indoor cat may survive 17 or more years. Cats who roam are constantly in danger!

RESOURCES Citizens For Human Action Capital Area Humane Society Delaware County Humane Society Cat Welfare Friend of Animals Neighborly Ohio Mobile Animal Doctor NOMAD (614) Roaming Animal Sterilization Clinic (614) www.rascalunit.com Animal Outreach (614) www.animal-outreach.org For additional programs:

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