With all members present, the Sylvania City Council voted on July 21 to unanimously pass a law banning the feeding of wildlife and stray animals—mainly feral cats.
“I absolutely think this is a step in the right direction and again our goal is to make sure that we put in place something that will ensure the health, comfort and safety of the public,” said Councilmember Mary Westphal, president of Sylvania City Council.
She said the council sees the law as one part in a larger effort to find long-term solutions to reduce the state cat population, and will seek grants and an animal welfare partner.
According to Westphal, the problem surfaced more than a year ago in one Sylvania neighborhood. The council conducted an analysis of other communities that had demonstrated success in controlling the stray cat population.
Signed by Mayor Craig Stough, the Sylvania law is now fully enacted. A first-time violation can result in a minor misdemeanor and a fine up to $150, while a second offense is a fourth degree misdemeanor with a fine up to $250. However, the enforcement of the law is complaint-driven.
“We are not going to have any specific operations out targeting this offense,” said Sylvania Police Captain Rick Schnoor. “If a resident is having an issue with this and they make it a point, we will certainly look into it.”
Not everyone is convinced the new law will curb the problem. The Toledo Area Humane Society asserts that feeding bans do not achieve the intended goals.
“It’s very, very difficult to enforce and very, very expensive. It causes neighbors to tattle on other neighbors and there’s a lot of unintended consequences from that,” said Gary Willoughby II, executive director of the Humane Society. “We agree that outside cats are not the ideal situation and we think there are other ways to try to reduce their numbers other than banning someone from feeding them.”
At the council meeting, Willoughby recommended a “trap-neuter-return” program or T-N-R.
“The cats don’t usually live as long outside, even if it’s been altered,” said Willoughby. An outside cat lives an average of three years, compared to about 16 for an inside cat, he said. “So it’s just a way that those three years we know that they won’t have any more offspring.”
This new law is also causing some confusion. It contradicts a City of Sylvania ordinance that states that no person shall “torture an animal, deprive one of necessary sustenance…” Though this section specifies “livestock” and only insinuates pets (not specifying “dog” or “cat” like previously written language), the law could be interpreted as stating that any animal (strays) should not be deprived of necessary sustenance.
“We’ll take a look at that … to see if it needs to have any language change for clarity,” said Westphal.
To view the new legislation and all of City of Sylvania Ordinance Laws, click here. To read the minutes of the July 21st meeting, click here.
