HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0283.708 2024-2026From:
advocate@mail.actionbutton.org on behalf of Marianne Benson
<advocate@mail.actionbutton.org>
Sent:
Monday, July 21, 2025 10:10 PM
COUNTY CLERIC
To:
Council Testimony
COUNTY OF HAWAIIi
Bill 51 - STRONGLY OPPOSED
REIVESubject:
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Date JUL 2 2 2025
To Mayor Kimo Alameda and the Hawai'i County Council:
I call on you to REJECT BILL 51 in its current form and instead take action that reflects our island's values
of compassion, community, and kuleana.
BILL 51 GETS IT WRONG!!
Criminalizing cat feedingwon't solve the problem — it amplifies it:
Starving cats doesn't make them vanish; it drives them into sensitive ecosystems, increases disease,
leads to more kittens, and intensifies community conflict.
This approach punishes caregivers instead of addressing underlying causes— and it makes our island
less humane.
We understand the goal is to protect native wildlife. But Bill 51 ignores both the root causes and the real
solutions. We urge you, Mayor Alameda, to course -correct— and join us in supporting humane,
effective, and proven strategies.
THE REALITY ON THE GROUND
Families across our island face:
Spay/neuter costs they can't afford
Veterinary care that's out of reach
Pet -averse rentals, forcing people to give up animals
Trying To Feed their pets despite rising living costs
When families surrender pets— often dumped attransfer stations, parks, or shopping centers —what
emerges is labeled "community cats." These cats aren't feral monsters —they're lost, dumped, or
abandoned —and we need to fix the broken system behind it.
OUR SOLUTION: TWO -PRONGED ACTION
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Ref. Date2025
We invite you, Mayor Alameda, to support areal plan— one led by local organizations, volunteers, and
residents already making progress:
PRONG ONE: Keep Cats with Their Families
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Support our Iohana:BEFORE pets are surrendered:
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Free or low-cost spay/neuter services,
Affordable veterinary and wellness clinics
Protections for renters with pets
Emergency pet food assistance
PRONG TWO: Effectively Manage Community Cat Populations
Deploy proven, humane methods to stabilize and reduce colonies:
TNVR (Trap -Neuter -Vaccinate -Return -Manage) programs —the only population -control approach that
works.
Adoption programs for sociable or friendly cats
Certified colony caretakers, with:
Monitoring and identification tools
Wildlife -safe, posted feeding stations
Management and conservation training
Strategic relocation from sensitive environments
Networks of fosters and sanctuaries to rehome cats
These approaches tackle the cause —not just symptoms. They're backed by data, used nationwide,
and alreadyyielding results hereon our island.
WHY BILL 51 WILL BACKFIRE
If enacted, Bill'51 will:
Drive compassionate caretakers underground
Increase dumping of unwanted pets
Undermine trust and momentum gained by years of volunteer efforts
Waste County resources enforcing an unenforceable law
Ultimately produce more suffering —for cats, wildlife, and our community
WE STAND FOR ALOHA -BASED SOLUTIONS
Rather than criminalize care, let's uplift the work already underway by the following organizations:
AdvoCATS, Aloha Animal Alliance, Advocats Hawaii, Action 4 Animals Hawaii, CatSnip, Feed the Kitty,
Good Karma Spay & Neuter, Jungle Cat Ladies Sanctuary, Kahu Popoki - Care For Our Cat Ohana, KARES
Hawai'i, Rainbow Friends, Volcano Cat Sanctuary, and others —
ALL working together to roll out these humane solutions across the island.
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Together we can:
Stop the cycle of abandonment
Keep families and pets united
Reduce cat colony size over time —while protecting wildlife
We can solve this— but not with Bill51.
Mayor Alameda, we urge you: reject this bill and stand with us— our'ohana, our cats, and our island
values.
With aloha,
Your fellow resident of Hawai'i Island.
This message was sent by Marianne Benson via ActionButton, on behalf of Kahu Popoki - Care For Our
Cat Ohana. Please reply to Marianne Benson at mrb8148(@yahoo.com.