If you follow any of the local Facebook pages about lost and found animals, you are familiar with the frequent posts about stray cats roaming the streets of Red Wing. It happens to be a very polarizing issue with people on both sides of the issue feeling very strongly that they are right in their choice to either let the cat roam or bring loose animals to the shelter. So, what is the “right” answer to these roaming felines in town? Let’s dive into what the city’s policy is as well as the mission statement of River Bluff Humane Society. The dog and cat ordinance is described in detail on the city’s website and here is a direct link to that information.

Dog & Cat Ordinance | Red Wing, MN

Take a specific look at this section of the ordinance and what it means to be listed “at large”.

Subd. 2. Running at Large Prohibited. It is unlawful for the owner of any dog and cat to permit such animal to run at large. Any dog or cat shall be deemed to be running at large with the permission of the owner unless it is on a durable leash or chain secured to an object which it cannot move and on the premises of the owner, or on such leash or chain and under the control of an accompanying person of suitable age and discretion, or confined within a motor vehicle, or confined within a building, fence (electronic wireless fences are not allowed) or other enclosure of construction sufficient to prevent the dog or cat from escaping

So right here in the city policy it says that it is unlawful for any animal to be freely roaming and should be contained or leashed at all times. Cats are not omitted from these laws even though it seems like the public has different expectations on stray cats over stray dogs. Frequently we hear that owners struggle to contain their cats inside and that they run for the doors every time it opens, that some cats just like to be outside and will always come home. Well, don’t expect everyone that comes across your cat to be able to identify it as yours and know that it has a legitimate home. If an animal is loose, the best thing to do is keep it safe and ask around the neighborhood if it looks familiar to anyone. Take some time to locate their family before bringing it to the shelter.  Maybe it does live in the neighborhood and can easily be rehomed to that location. If not, then the safest thing and the right thing to do is to bring it to River Bluff Humane Society so we can get it inside and posted online so if it does have an owner, they can reclaim it at the shelter.

What about those individuals that get upset that their pet was brought to the shelter and now have to pay impound fees to reclaim their pet? Well, we can point them in the direction of the city ordinance to help our case. We can also mention if the responsible person that found the animal asked around the neighborhood before bringing it to us, but eventually, the animal shouldn’t be unsupervised outside and that is where we step in. Our mission at River Bluff Humane Society is to “Protect animals by providing shelter, promoting adoptions and responsible pet ownership and preventing animal overpopulation”. Impound fees help us maintain our organization and continue our mission of helping those animals in need. When your car is impounded, you are required to pay a fee to have it released, how is a pet any different? Why should we not be compensated for our services? As a non profit 501c3 organization, this is just one of the ways that we financially support ourselves, but believe me, it certainly doesn’t make us rich!

So what are some ways that we can all help each other out with this stray cat issue in town.

1. Keep your pets inside. If they scoot out the door quickly, please go after them to get them back inside. Yes, accidents do happen and people should not attack or shame them online, but when it becomes a habit for that animal, that is when it becomes a problem you can fix.
2. Make sure your animal is wearing proper identification so if a passerby finds the animal, they can see their info on a tag and try to rehome it themselves. If you have a cat and do not want it to wear a collar, then please consider a microchip. This is a permanent identifier that can be done at any vet clinic or down here at the shelter for a small fee. This will at least be able to provide the owner information if the cat does end up at the shelter and also make it quicker to get them returned home.
3. If you have a cat that does like to be outside, consider creating a safe space like an enclosed catio for them to lounge in. This provides the stimulation of the breeze and visuals of other animals while also keeping them safe and contained on your property. Perhaps a harness and leash on supervised outings will be enough to satisfy your roaming Casanova to keep it close to home.
4. Spay and neuter your cats. Intact animals are more likely to roam from home than ones that have been altered. If that isn’t enough of a reason to do it then also think of all the litters of unwanted kittens you can prevent by spaying and neutering your cat. There are programs to help you financially if that seems to be your roadblock. River Bluff Humane Society gets overwhelmed with kittens every year and if just a few more cats were altered each day, the snowball effect would decrease and allow us a bit more breathing room with the kitten headcount.

We know that we will always have stray animals; cats will continue to run loose regardless of our educational efforts to combat the problem, people will not reclaim their pets for one reason or another and litters of kittens will continue to fill our building. If we can work together as a community to help each other out by being a part of the solution rather than the problem, maybe we would have fewer cats struttin’ their stuff around town.

-Meow

RBHS Staff

Resources for spaying & neutering your cats

1. MNSNAP 612-720-8236
2. Purple Cat 715-419-2338