HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0283.313 2024-2026From: Susan Collins
Sent: Friday, July 18, 2025 9:54 AM
To: Susan Collins c_
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Subject: Bill 51 - I oppose the ban on feeding homeless and feral animals. �C=-
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I oppose the ban on feeding homeless/feral cats and echo the Humane Society in the following:
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Dear Honorable Hawaii County Councilmembers, , 4
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This testimony is in response to proposed Bill 51. In April 2023, as tensions escalated in relation to the
management of free -roaming cats at the Queen's Marketplace in Waikoloa, Hawaii Island Humane Society
released our position with regard to the feeding of community cats and the presence of nene, a federally
protected and endemic species. :
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. 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
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 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 be
taken 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.
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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
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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 spaces (such 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.)
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.org/.../CA CommunityCats_ Guide...)
Sincerely,
Susan Collins