The Vermont House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry is once again considering a bill to protect community cats and the people who care for them. House Bill 158 clarifies that the “return” in Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is not abandonment and that community cat caregivers are not the owners of community cats.
Last year, Alley Cat Allies mobilized our supporters in Vermont to speak out in support of a similar bill. Unfortunately, that bill did not move forward. Now we have an opportunity to pass this important legislation that protects TNR and allows caregivers to continue caring for cats without legal restrictions.
Alley Cat Allies supports all animal laws that clarify that TNR is not abandonment. Through TNR, cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their outdoor homes, where they live and thrive with their colonies. If HB 158 passes, Vermont will recognize that it is in the best interest of shelters and cats to return community cats to their outdoor homes as quickly as possible through a TNR program. This humane and effective practice keeps more community cats out of shelters, where nearly all would be killed because they are not socialized to people or adoptable.
The bill also states that caregivers are not the owners of community cats, but good Samaritans stepping forward to care for animals with their own time and resources. Vermont’s community cat caregivers are on the front lines every day providing food, water, and spay and neuter and vaccination services to cats. HB 158 recognizes caregivers’ contributions to their community, supports their efforts, and gives them access to reduced-cost rabies vaccines to help in their lifesaving work.
Finally, HB 158 bans cruel methods of controlling or killing animals, including cats. Specifically, it prevents residents from using poison to kill animals on their properties and shelters from using carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gas to “euthanize” animals. Both these methods are widely known to be cruel and unnecessary.
Alley Cat Allies is once again rallying citizens in Vermont to speak out in support of HB 158 to make these vital humane changes happen.
If you live in Vermont, click here to tell your legislators to support HB 158.