Stray cats that have been seen around Kemble Avenue, Rock Street and Main Street in Cold Spring are being trapped and removed to a humane shelter in the evenings from 5 to 6 p.m. until Sunday, Feb. 10.
Residents should make sure their housecats have collars with bells or tags before letting them outside.
To the editors:
This is an extremely mysterious and anonymous, passive announcement, remarkably free of responsibility, follow up, or source. I have some questions.
Who is the organizing body behind this effort, who will conduct the trapping and transport of animals to an unnamed “humane shelter,” between 5 and 6 pm?
What should pet owners “missing” a cat do to follow up, since you don’t say the location to which the animal will be transported to?
Will these trappers keep records of the animals they trap and transport?
How will village residents who don’t read Philipstown.info be informed of this action?
If cats are not required to be licensed, registered, or identified in the Village, what is the owner in violation of?
Where should follow up questions be directed to? There seems to be no “ownership” of this action.
What is the impetus of this action, and what transgression does it address?
Thank you. I would appreciate any answers.
I agree with Ms. Hanley, this is a very vague, not to mention sudden, announcement. Could you please provide us with more information ASAP, specifically what organization is involved. What should people do if they’re looking for a missing pet? Thank you.
I’m relieved to share some information I got this morning. This is about just two stray cats that were abandoned off Main Street, after their caretaker moved, that a kind woman is trying to trap and bring to the humane society. She’s been feeding them for a while, and they need to be fixed to prevent kittens.
Apparently, she has fliers on Main Street about them, and has the shelter name and her phone number on them; the information just wasn’t published in the announcement.
So it’s not a village catnapper, nor an edict about cat removal. No cats, other than these two strays, will be brought to the humane society.
And for the record, I do think that if cats do go outside, they should have collars and bells. I just found the lack of information and tone of the message slightly ominous, as did others.
Thank you for providing the forum through which we can ask questions and receive answers.
Thank you for the info! Glad to hear it’s not a cat round-up. Much as I love Philipstown.info (and I really do – you provide a great service) the story did indeed lack solid information. Thanks again for posting.
Yes, Facebook was buzzing about this fearful post. What a great reminder to get a collar with a bell and ID for your cat. It’s not fair to the cat nor wildlife. A recent study by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that domestic cats in the US – both house pets and feral cats – kill about 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion mammals a year.
This makes the domestic cat one of the single greatest human-linked threats to wildlife in the nation. More birds and mammals die at the mouths of cats, the report said, than from automobile strikes, pesticides and poisons, or other collisions.