A legal change could allow veterinarians across Idaho to spay and neuter feral cats before releasing them. Current state law frowns on trapping and releasing feral animals, but Senate Minority Leader Kate Kelly, D-Boise, wants to give counties and cities the option of making an exception for cats. “The practice is going on where these cats are being neutered or spayed and released,” Kelly said. “We just want to make sure it’s legal.”
Kelly hadn’t heard of any shelters or people being cited for trapping and releasing animals, but wants to change the law to reflect common practices and preferences for veterinarians. “These are good Samaritans who just want them sterilized and re-released,” she said. “There are a lot of veterinarians who are not comfortable with euthanizing a healthy animal.”
Kelly said she has the support of the Idaho Humane Society, an animal shelter in her Boise district. The shelter takes in 8,000 stray cats a year, though Kelly said many other shelters across the state won’t accept cats. Kelly said 50,000 feral cats could be living in the Treasure Valley.
The proposed legislation would only apply to trapping, sterilizing, and releasing free-roaming cats, not other animals or livestock. Counties and cities would have the option to regulate capturing and neutering cats so that they wouldn’t fall under state animal cruelty laws. Kelly said that research shows that sterilizing and re-releasing animals is a more effective way to reduce stray populations that euthanizing cats because of cats’ territorial activities and ability to breed quickly.
how bout free spay and neuter for cats that are peoples pets. domestic cats get pregnant all the time unintentionally. I cant believe people actually trap cats to get them spayed or neutered. It’s stuff like this that makes our country so messed up. Worrying bout Haiti etc. Lets worry bout our pets, our domestic animals. We should pass a law where people can kill stray cats. There are too many of them and they are dirty and disease ridden. They spray my house because I have a cat. These damn stray cats have more rights than I do. This country Is F$&%^$ up. These politicians are all assholes. Senate Minority Leader Kate Kelly is probably single and only has her cats to come home to and that’s why she is trying to pass this law. If this health care bill gets passed I’m moving to Canada.