AR-News: (CA) Cat snip must be law (People too dumb to sterilize kitty)

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

People too dumb to sterilize kitty

By TOM BRODBECK, CITY COLUMNIST


 
If Winnipeg wants to take a bite out of its growing cat population and claw 
back the number of felines it's forced to euthanize every year, introducing a 
new tax is not the solution. What Winnipeg, or Manitoba for that matter, should 
do is make it illegal for any group, organization or pet store to sell 
non-sterilized cats. 
The Winnipeg Humane Society wants the city to introduce a new $10 cat 
licence. They say it would help the city keep track of cats and reduce the number of 
euthanizations. 
WHS puts down an average of 2,430 cats a year, in part because people are too 
dumb to spay or neuter Fluffy. 
But rather than impose another tax on an already over-taxed city, what city 
hall or the provincial government should do is force pet stores and cat 
shelters to ensure the cats they sell are sterilized. 
It wouldn't be difficult to implement. 
If the cat is old enough to sterilize (four to six months), the law should 
stipulate that it must be spayed or neutered before it leaves the store or 
shelter. The cost of the sterilization would be added to Fluffy's ticket price. 
If the cat isn't old enough, the buyer would have to leave a deposit of, say 
$200, that would be reimbursed when he or she provides documented proof of 
sterilization. 
WHS executive director Vicki Burns said she likes the idea. 
So does the city's Animal Services CEO Tim Dack. 






full story:

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/04/06/410083.html 
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