HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0283.097 2024-2026From: Shannon H-W
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:37 AM
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To: Council Testimony
Subject: Vote NO on Bill 51
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Dear Council Members,
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Bill51 not only lacks the spirit of aloha, it also does nothing to solve the problem
of reducing the cat
population on County land. In fact, if passed and implemented, it will have the effect of increasingthe
cat population. This in turn will endanger and reduce native wildlife populations.
In 2023 the Hawaii
Island Humane Society posted the following,
"At the request of concerned community members, we would like to share our position ... with regard to
the feeding of community cats and the presence of nene, a federally protected and endemic species.
Please note that HIHS does not manage any community cat colonies.
Although we are a separate organization, HIHS follows the guidance and research of the The Humane
Society of the United States (HSUS.) With regard to this topic, HIHS recognizes and promotes the
following:
1. In order to have an effective impact on reducing the population through sterilization, community cats
must be managed humanely, including 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.
Accordingto 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." HIHS does not have the resources or capacity to
accept these cats into our care.
3. Eradicating the 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
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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 microchipped, 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 existingthreats 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 is a private, non-profit 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.
For more information, please visit:
https://humanepro.org/sites/default/files/documents/CA Community Cats Guide SingLePgs LRez.pdf
https•//www humanesocieiy org/resources/outdoor-cats--aq "
Vote "no" on Bill 51. There's a better way to humanely address the overpopulation issue and it starts
with learning from the people who've been caring for colony cats, supporting their efforts, and funding
spay/neuter clinics so that pets and non -pets alike can be spayed or neutered for free.
Shannon Herbert