Update February 15, 2017:
Unfortunately, SB 801 died in the Agriculture Subcommittee on 2/13 and will not move forward. SB 801 was not perfect, but it was a step in the right direction for animal shelters in Virginia and had the potential to save many lives. We thank Senator Bill Stanley for introducing this bill, and we will continue to advocate to improve shelters in Virginia.
Original Post:
Virginia has the chance to amend a bill so it can save countless cats’ lives.
The Virginia House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake & Natural Resources is considering a bill, SB 801, that would prevent public shelters from refusing to transfer or adopt a cat or dog to a willing Virginia resident or organization. This is a great step to preventing animals from being killed in shelters. However, the bill also has dangerous language that could lead to the deaths of community cats, even if an organization is willing to take them.
In its current form, the bill allows shelters to kill any animal that “poses a risk of physical injury to any person confining the animal.” This is tragically vague language. Many community cats are not used to people and become frightened when trapped and impounded. This stress can lead them to act more “aggressively” than they normally do. Even pet cats who are used to people can lash out when they’re scared in an overwhelming shelter environment. If the bill is not changed, typical fear reactions like hissing and thrashing could lead to any cat being killed.
The bill should be explicitly amended to allow all community cats to be transferred to organizations willing to do Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) regardless of behavior. Organizations that conduct TNR are accustomed to the behavior of frightened community cats and know how to handle them safely. There is no reason the bill should prevent cats from being given to these organizations.
As it is, this bill will save many lives. If it is amended to further protect community cats, even more lives will be saved and less money will be wasted.
If you live in Virginia, take action and ask your legislators to support an amendment to the bill.