Alley Cat Allies Presses for Better Policies for Canton, Ohio Cats

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Mar 13, 2012, 04:46 ET

Criticizes city council vote to renew animal control contract, despite citizen opposition

BETHESDA, Md., March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Alley Cat Allies, the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats, today said it was disappointed and astounded that the Canton City Council voted to renew the contract of a private animal control service for two years, despite opposition from local citizens and continuing controversy over mistreatment of animals by the contractor.

"Before the city council's vote, at least 16 citizens spoke out against renewing the contract, and none spoke out in favor of it," said Becky Robinson, president and co-founder of Alley Cat Allies. "But the measure passed despite the opposition and a number of legitimate concerns that were raised."

"Under Canton's current animal control policy, the city spends about $27,000 per year for the contractor to capture animals. This includes cats and kittens who are delivered to the Stark County Humane Society, where the majority of them are presumably killed," she said. "This is enormously cruel and a gross waste of taxpayer dollars."

Alley Cat Allies will hold a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, March 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the McKinley Room of the Stark County District Library (715 Market Ave. N, Canton), where the organization will present a plan to help the city effectively and humanely control the city's stray and feral cat population.

"Canton would benefit far greater by using city funds to support lifesaving programs like Trap-Neuter-Return and providing spay and neuter services for all cats over endless killing," said Robinson. "Data shows that trapping and removing cats never works, while spay/neuter saves lives and stabilizes the population."

About Alley Cat Allies
Alley Cat Allies is the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats. Founded in 1990, today Alley Cat Allies has more than 260,000 supporters and helps tens of thousands of individuals, communities, and organizations save and improve the lives cats and kittens nationwide. Their web site is www.alleycat.org.

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Becky Robinson
http://www.profnetconnect.com/becky_robinson

SOURCE Alley Cat Allies