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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bill French has asked me to forward this message to
Vision 2020</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Georgia,Book Antiqua" size=2>
<P>The city of Moscow is currently drafting a new animal control ordinance
which, unfortunately, will not require the licensing or containment of cats.
This exclusion is on the direction of the council administrative committee and
John Dickinson, who is council liaison to the ordinance writing committee. John
thinks that cats, including his own, have more right to use property than the
owner who’s paying the mortgage and taxes.</P>
<P>While cats have always had free run in Moscow, cats cause many problems when
allowed to run loose. Contrary to popular opinion, domestic cats are not
"wildlife" and are not part of any natural ecosystem. Housecats have been
domesticated over thousands of years and were introduced to North America by
European immigrants. Our native birds and mammals did not evolve with the small,
abundant, sheltered, and well-fed predator called "Fluffy". The result is that
domestic cats are the second-leading cause of declining bird populations
worldwide, killing hundreds of millions annually. </P>
<P>Free-roaming cats also violate the private property rights of those who don’t
wish to have cats hunting, defecating or spraying on their property. Not only do
free-roaming cats spread disease to other cats, they also can spread disease to
humans (potentially by contaminating garden soil). Well-fed, declawed cats with
bells on their collars will still hunt successfully, just for fun. Unaltered
free-roaming cats contribute greatly to the cat over-population problem, which
places unsupportable burdens on wildlife and animal shelters alike. </P>
<P>If you’d like more information about a national campaign to end the problem
of free-roaming cats, go to the CATS INDOORS! link on </FONT><A
href="http://www.abcbirds.org/"><FONT face="Georgia,Book Antiqua"
size=2>www.abcbirds.org</FONT></A><FONT face="Georgia,Book Antiqua" size=2>. If
you’d like to sign a petition requesting that the Moscow city council place
restrictions on cats, Email </FONT><A href="mailto:catsindoors@moscow.com"><FONT
face="Georgia,Book Antiqua" size=2>catsindoors@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT
face="Georgia,Book Antiqua" size=2>. This campaign is not against cats – just
the irresponsible ownership of them.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Georgia,Book Antiqua" size=2>Bill
French</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>