Saturday, March 07, 2009

Go to the source of the problem

"An SPCA boss wants the Invercargill City Council to put more effort into helping it stamp out wild cat colonies in the city.

Invercargill SPCA manager Mary Bradley said there were at least five properties in the city with between 20 and 30 cats in each, and SPCA staff would appreciate some help to cull the wild and unhealthy felines. "Even if they (council) set the traps and brought the cats to us. I don't think they see it as their problem..."


Now most councils will have this covered with something like the text below:


911 ENCOURAGING RATS, ETC.
911.1 No person shall:
(a) Cause, permit, or suffer any refuse, waste matter, material, or thing to remain or
be kept in such a manner or for such a time as to afford shelter or likely
harbourage for rats, or encourage rats or other vermin to visit and frequent, or be
in such building, land, or premises;
(b) Fail to protect from access of rats or other vermin as far as practicable any article
which is or is likely to be food for rats;
(c) Neglect in any such building, land, or premises where rats or other vermin exist
or are harboured, or in which there is evidence of such existence, or harbouring,
to destroy rats by poisoning or trapping, or such other means as the Inspector may
direct; or
(d) Fail to remove or obliterate nests, burrows, or habitual haunts of rats in any such
buildings, land, or premises.

WILD cats are vermin. And it appears that once told the council are dealing with the problem- they usually will once you prod them in the arse.

BUT- and here is the point of my post- They should be going after those who CAUSE this problem instead of dumping the costs on all ratepayers. The crazy cat women (it usually is) who feed and breed these pests.

Make them pay.

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