On March 26, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter signed House Bill 08-1185, sponsored by Rep. Cherylin Peniston (D–Westminster) and Senator Jack Taylor (R–Steamboat Springs), into law.
When it goes into effect on January 1, 2009, this new law will require all licensed animal shelters and pet animal rescues in the state to spay or neuter cats and dogs before adoption. With more than 173,000 cats and dogs brought to shelters and rescues, and 25 percent of those animals being euthanized, this legislation will help prevent unwanted births and decrease the number of animals coming into shelters. The bill also defines the term “pet animal rescue,” ensuring that pet brokers posing as rescues will no longer be able to do so unless they meet Colorado’s Pet Animal Facilities Act requirements.
The Colorado Federation of Animal Welfare Agencies and its members, including the Dumb Friends League, advocated for these changes to state law and are pleased that Colorado will now join 35 others states with similar spay/neuter requirements. The Dumb Friends League committed to pre-adoption spay/neuter 29 years ago, a decision which helped to reduce.
There are an estimated 90 million owned (or quasi-owned) cats in the U. S., but more than one-third of them don’t get veterinary care on an annual basis. They are much less likely than dogs to have identification or to be considered as family. Only about 2 to 5 percent of lost cats brought to shelters are reclaimed by owners.
In October, the Dumb Friends League and the Hawaiian Humane Society hosted more than 60 representatives from academia, animal health, care, control and welfare organizations, veterinary medicine, and the pet nutrition and pet product industries for the Domestic and Shelter Cat Symposium. Attendees discussed ways to “re-brand” domestic cats so that society places a higher value on them. The group also began crafting critical messages for the public about the benefits of owning and providing appropriate care for cats.
Click on the links below to view presentations given at the symposium and read the prepared proceedings.
Current State of Cats (Presentation by Dumb Friends League Staff)
Re-branding Cats (Presentation by Sarah Miller of McClain Finlon)
Symposium Proceedings
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