The council voted 3-2 at the January 19 meeting on the ordinance, which has been discussed at length during previous meetings including by animal activists that questioned the law and others — including representatives of the no-kill SPARC shelter — that supported it.
One issue that brought heavy public concern in the past, the 4-month age the animal must be spayed or neutered by, was addressed early on by City Attorney John Cotti, who told the council there is no clear cut determination on the proper age to alter pets.
“I’m not a vet but I spent a lot of time,” researching age recommendations, four versus five months, and Cotti said experts are equally split on the pros and cons.
The ordinance was amended to address working dogs, which are exempt from the law as long it is proven they were bred or trained to work.
City Councilwoman Ginger Gherardi said that since cats are not licensed she was curious how the city would address creating such a fee.
Cotti said that since the ordinance has a year grace period such issues would be worked out. He noted that the request had been for a policy that addresses both dogs and cats.
“I support spay and neutering,” but Gherardi said if the city does not presently have a licensing program for cats it would be burdensome to create same.
She also noted “I searched the city’s website and I can’t even find how to get a dog license on the website…”
Mayor Martin Hernandez said a cat license could be modeled after the present dog license application and process.
Gherardi countered there are many cats in the community: “The issue here is the cart is in front of the horse…” and licensing cats should be subject to further research and community input.
Hernandez said staff and SPARC could discuss the particulars and noted the one-year grace period before enforcement of the ordinance would begin.
“I don’t know if anyone has lived with a non-spayed cat,” said Vice Mayor Jenny Crosswhite, who noted she is in favor of spay and neutering pets but also questioned the new ordinance when it came to cats.
“I just see it as a way to get the ball rolling,” and Councilman John Procter said he views the ordinance “as a work in progress,” with possible kinks that could be worked out during the one-year grace period.
Adopting the ordinance said Hernandez is “A start…I see dogs everyday wandering the streets,” and the main issue is protecting the animals.
Gherardi asked if approval of the ordinance would mean the city would mandate cat licenses and Cotti said it would only apply to unaltered cats.
After more discussion Hernandez said the proposed ordinance “Has been thoroughly vetted three times…”
The council will consider adopting the ordinance at the February 1 meeting.
