Joy Mattice said she fed stray cats in north Minneapolis for 50 years before getting charged for the illegal activity last summer. Her friend, Susan Szykulski, was arrested in December for the same offense.
Both said they acted as caretakers for the cats because they feared Minneapolis Animal Care and Control would catch the animals and euthanize them — the fate of about 270 cats deemed unsuitable as pets in 2012, according to the city.
But City Council Member Cam Gordon wants to scrap the catch and euthanize program in favor of a trap, neuter- or spay-and-release approach, similar to what St. Paul does, saying it is more humane and effective in controlling the stray cat population.
St. Paul started allowing nonprofits to trap, neuter or spay and release feral cats in 2007. Since 2006, the city has seen a 26 percent decrease in the number of cats impounded.
Mike Fry, the executive director at Animal Ark, a no-kill animal shelter that sterilizes and releases feral cats in St. Paul, said it's time for a change in Minneapolis, because euthanasia hasn't solved the feral cat problem.
"They've been killing cats in Minneapolis for 125 years, and the problem is getting worse, not better," he said.
Euthanasia more costly
To catch the cats, the ban on ground feeding and trapping that got Mattice and Szykulski in trouble would be lifted. People would be able to apply for a trap and legally feed the felines before bringing them to a nonprofit for sterilization.
Gordon said nonprofits such as the Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Program would provide the necessary veterinary work at a low cost. The group already provides free spay and neuter services for pets of eligible owners in parts of north Minneapolis.