Cat Bounty in Randolph Iowa

Update 3/14/08 Bounty Out, TNR In

Original post:

By now, you probably have heard about the cat bounty in Randolph, Iowa

And that the community has responded, sometimes politely, sometimes not.

And that Alley Cat Allies has stepped into to offer the option of TNR.

The interesting thing about this situation is that:

A) Only two cats have been surrendered so far. Not many folks are jumping on this band wagon.
B) The veterinary clinic identified as a possible euthanasia agent has denied this connection and states they instead offer Trap/Neuter/Return.

From the community website in Randolph Iowa:

RANDOLPH MAYOR DEFENDS CAT BOUNTY http://kma960.com/localnews.asp (Randolph) -- Randolph's mayor is defending the city's decision to impose a bounty on feral cats. Vance Trively says dozens of feral cats were overrunning Randolph--and he was swamped with phonecalls. With the stray cat problem multiplying, Trively tells KMA News he and the Randolph City Council knew they had to do something. Thus, Trively says the council decided to impose a $5 bounty for live cats. Trively says the cats had to be alive when turned in--and would only be accepted from Randolph residents. Since the council imposed the fee, Trively says he's received a grand total of two cats as of Wednesday afternoon. One of the cats was sick and died. The other cat is pregnant and is being cared for until it's taken to a vet. Trively, however, says the city has been swamped with media attention. In addition to every Omaha television station, Trively says he's received calls from other radio stations, Paul Harvey, the Omaha World Herald--and even B-B-C Radio and B-B-C Worldwide in London. Trively says the reaction is laughable. Trively says those critical of the city's decision don't realize that most stray cats can't be controlled. Trively also questions who pays to feed or neuter a cat when it's captured or saved. Trively, however, says the city did make one mistake. Had the council imposed a catch fee, instead of a bounty, Trively says it wouldn't have received any attention.

What is interesting here, is that Trively took personal responsibility for killing. He stood up and said, "I'll take the cats, pay you $5, and will look for their owners or have them put down."

Whether he will be able to find a vet willing to put them down remains to be seen.

Because he has taken personal responsibility for the removal, the media has a human face to put on the issue (an all-important feature for any viral media story) and are responding in a manner that is drawing more attention than one might expect. Trively may end up being a greater friend to ferals than he planned, by drawing attention to the subject.

Remember, all over the United States, money is paid for animal control shelters to euthanize hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands of unwanted dogs and cats. These killings fade into the long history of killing we've had in our own cities and towns, and we tend to try to ignore them. In a small town like Randolph, instead of animal control we have one man, Mayor Trively. When we criticize him, we need to remember we--as communities--may be guilty of a similar mindset. Are our own municipalities paying for creative adoption and spay/neuter...or "euthanasia?"

I think this parallel should be made more strongly. When we demonize Mayor Trively, we may find we are fellow demons if pets are euthanized in our own municipalities. If we are not already, shouldn't we each be stepping forward to foster kittens and puppies for our overburdened shelter, help our senior neighbors fix their outdoor cats, and help man the off-site adoption center at our local Petco, Petsmart, or other adoption-friendly pet store?

Mayor Trively is concerned about "dozens of cats." "Dozens" can be controlled by a steady, calm TNR program. However, to a person who is unfamiliar with TNR "dozens" seems overwhelming. It costs over $200 to get a pet cat fixed (with office visit charge, vaccinations, etc). Who is going to pay to fix dozens? Well, the caretakers will dig deep when discounted spay/neuter services are available, and vets will sometimes lower their fees for the person with a stray cat versus a pet. Organizations will step forward with assistance once they know there is a need.

Ask the community now that Mayor Trively has challenged them. So far only two people have been willing to come forward for the $5 bounty. Let's see how many will come forward with money to fix the cats instead?

Mayor Trively has willingly put his face on the animal control of yesterday. By doing so, he may remind us that what is $5 per cat in Randolph already costs as much as $100 a cat in our own towns. By all means, sign the petition against cat killing in Randolph, Iowa.

Then we should pick up the phone and find out what we can do for the cats in our own towns and give ourselves a good long look in the mirror.