HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0283.107 2024-2026COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAII
BILL 51: Cat Feeding Stations (Opposed) 2025 JUL _7 A�+� 4, 0
Aloha,
My name is Heather Irwin, and I am one of the many individuals dedicated to
Trap -Neuter -Return (TNR) efforts across our community —including at private residences. I also
rescue kittens and socialized adult cats that can be adopted into loving homes. Over the past
year alone, I've helped spay and neuter more than 50 cats in my neighborhood. Most of the
kittens have since been placed in safe, caring homes after being fixed and microchipped.
TNR is a community -wide effort. It involves feeders, rescuers, trappers, and compassionate
individuals who are deeply committed to managing the overpopulation of cats humanely and
responsibly. Feeding stations are not the root of the problem —on the contrary, they are
essential to identifying new litters, sick or injured cats, and recently abandoned pets. Feeders
often fund this work out-of-pocket and are the first line of defense in getting these animals help.
They work with an entire network of rescuers and TNR volunteers to trap, rehabilitate, or
rehome animals when possible.
The real issue lies not with the cats, but with the people who abandon them or fail to spay and
neuter. Cats don't appear in colonies by chance. They are the result of human
irresponsibility —people who allow their pets to reproduce or who dump unwanted animals, often
in cruel and heartbreaking ways. I've personally rescued a kitten that was the last of her litter to
be thrown into a rubbish bin. Fortunately, someone intervened in time. But many others aren't so
lucky.
We need to consider this issue thoughtfully. Proposals to ban or penalize feeding cats are not
only cruel but also counterproductive. Starving animals is inhumane and does nothing to
address the root cause. In fact, hungry cats are more likely to hunt native species, not less.
Feeding reduces the need for survival -based predation. Choosing to criminalize compassion
while ignoring those who actively create the problem —by dumping or neglecting
animals —makes no moral or logical sense.
Yes, there is a problem. Yes, native and endangered species, like the Nene, deserve protection.
But that doesn't mean we devalue the lives of these cats, who did not choose this life. They are
not to blame for being here —humans are. Punishing volunteers who are trying to help, while
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turning a blind eye to the individuals who dump pets or fail to spay and neuter, is both misguided
and unjust.
There are better, more humane alternatives. For example, instead of dismantling feeding
stations in sensitive areas like Liliuokalani Gardens, what if colonies were assessed, treated
medically if needed, and relocated to safer areas away from native wildlife? What if more
funding went toward enforcement of animal dumping laws or toward affordable, accessible
spay/neuter services to prevent more unwanted litters?
Since the Humane Society relinquished its contract, the situation has only worsened. Animal
control is stretched thin and often unresponsive to reports involving cats. In the absence of
adequate public resources, a vast network of volunteers continues to step up. And yet these
same people may now be punished for doing so.
There are countless individuals involved in rescue, TNR, and feeding —many of them with
innovative, practical ideas for reducing overpopulation and mitigating risks to wildlife. We must
work with these people, not against them. Starving animals and fining caregivers is not a
solution —it is a step backward. Real change will only come through education, enforcement of
existing laws, better access to veterinary care, and support for the people already working to
solve this crisis.
Please take a moment to truly consider what's being proposed: starving one life to protect
another. Bill 51 advocates for an inhumane solution —one that deliberately ignores the root
issues of accessibility, funding, education, and affordability. Instead of addressing the causes, it
targets and penalizes those who are actively working to mitigate the problem. If these cats were
owned pets, the actions being proposed would be considered animal cruelty —punishable by
fines or even jail time. Shame on those who believe cruelty is a solution, and worse, who aim to
punish the very people trying to fix what others have caused. Make no mistake: supporting
this bill is condoning animal abuse.
Let us move forward with compassion, not cruelty. Let's be the change —and do it humanely.
Mahalo,
Heather Irwin