HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0283.046 2024-2026From: Srimoyee Chakraborty o c7
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:14 AM
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To: Council Testimony ram-•;�,
Subject: Oppose Bill 51 1
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I completely oppose Bill 51, and I reiterate what HIHS has already sent you. N
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1. In order to have an effective impact on reducing the population through sterilization, community cats
must be managed humanely, including precise, accurate, and timely population counts and tracking.
This means that new cats joining a given colony or area should be trapped and spayed/neutered to
prevent continued reproduction.
2. It is not a realistic solution to relocate community cats to a shelter or rescue group, such as HIHS.
According to HSUS, "an estimated 3.2 million cats enter U.S. animal shelters annually, and just over
860,000 are euthanized (ASPCA, 2019)—a tiny fraction of the total number of cats in a given community.
One should not expect these efforts to have an impact on outdoor cat populations, their welfare, or
environmental or public health concerns related to outdoor cats. Relying on the shelter system —without
also implementing programs specifically aimed at managing community cats —stresses shelters,
overwhelming their resources and far exceeding capacity. It also gives false expectations to citizens
coming to these agencies for help resolving problems."
3. Eradicatingthe cats- either through relocation, implementing a feeding ban, or humane euthanasia -
is not an effective solution due to the resource -seeking nature of cats from surrounding areas, and a
continual cycle of cat abandonment. From the HSUS: "When cats are removed, unmanaged cats from
surrounding areas may move in to take advantage of the newly available resources. The cycle of
reproduction and `nuisance behavior' begins all over again."
4. Feeding bans, including the removal of feeding stations, are illogical as it will not force cats to go away,
rather, it will make them more difficult to manage. It will also force cats to forage through the trash and
become a greater threat to wildlife. Feeding stations are essential to the effective and humane
management of free -roaming cats.
5. Pet cats should be micro.chipped, spayed/neutered and kept indoors or appropriately contained when
given access to the outside (such as an enclosed catio.) This mitigates risk to both the cats AND wildlife.
6. There are many existing threats to the nene population, including predation by rats, cats, dogs, and
mongoose, habitat loss, vehicles, and exposure to disease introduced by non-native animals. Steps
should betaken to protect the nene.
The topic of community or "free -roaming" cats can be a multi -faceted concern that draws opinions from
many interest groups, including cat caretakers, public health officials, wildlife agencies, environmental
conservationists, and more. There can be solutions that prioritize the protection of our native and
endemic wildlife while also promoting the humane and effective reduction of the population of free-
roaming/community cats.
Hawaii Island Humane Society encourages the County of Hawaii to consider collaborative, humane, and
effective solutions that 1) reduce the free -roaming cat population in sustainable ways and 2) mitigates
risk to native and endemic wildlife. The County of Hawaii should allocate funding and resources to
groups that have proven knowledge and experience to provide the type of precise population
management required to reduce -and eventually eliminate - the free -roaming cat population. This may
include 1) establishing locations, away from sensitive waterways and important ecological 1spaces (such
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as nesting areas for nene), such that cats can be trapped, spayed/neutered, and relocated, 2) funding
spay/neuter programs and trapping efforts, and 3) working in conjunction with caretakers to establish a
roster of county -approved caretakers who are required to report on their efforts.
Unfortunately, a cycle of abandonment will continue. A lack of enforcement of animal abandonment
laws makes it nearly impossible to prevent animal abandonment in all areas across our island. Without
programming in place to manage abandoned cats — or cats that enter the area seeking resources —the
current issues will endure. Please note that Hawaii Island Humane Society does not support or endorse
unfettered feeding of free -roaming cats such that the cats are not managed or precisely accounted for.
Feeding is'a means through which caretakers can condition behavior and establish trust, which allows
for more effective trapping; feeding must serve as a means to an end (trapping, spay/neuter,
management/relocation.)
Hawaii Island Humane Society supports the protection of native and endemic wildlife.
Hawaii Island Humane Society is a private, nonprofit organization. HIHS does not have the resources or
capacity to engage in this situation nor does HIHS manage any community cat colonies. We encourage
the relevant organizations, businesses, and agencies to work collaboratively to develop effective
solutions for the safety and protection of the nene (and other endemic/native wildlife) and humane
management of the community cat population.
Lastly, we highly encourage our County officials to consider the attached guide — Managing Community
Cats: A Guide for Municipal Leaders. This guide provides practical, realistic, proven solutions that have
applications for our county. (Link to the guide is here:
https://humanepro.orgisites/default/files/documents/CA Community Cats Guide SinglePgs LRez.pdf)
Thanks
Srimoyee