Lawmakers act to protect cats from traps

KINGSTON, N.Y. » Ulster County lawmakers have adopted a local law designed to protect pet cats from unknowingly being caught up in trapping operations.

The law, adopted this week in a 13-10 vote of the Legislature that crossed party lines, requires organizations, groups or individuals who intend to conduct cat trapping to notify the community of their plans five days before the date of the operation.

County Executive Michael Hein will hold a public hearing on the law at 10:15 a.m. Aug. 1 before deciding whether to enact or veto it. The hearing will be held in the Legislature’s chamber on the sixth floor of the County Office Building, 244 Wall St., Kingston.

Legislator Laura Petit, the sponsor, said the law would protect family pets and feral cats that are scooped up by organizations or individuals from being adopted out or euthanized.

But the legislation, which originally regulated not only the trapping of cats but also the neutering and release of stray and feral cats, as well as the use of euthanasia on the animals, became mired in controversy over the larger debate of how to deal with feral cat colonies.

Petit, I-Esopus, forced the measure to the floor of the full Legislature for a vote on July 17 by filing a petition to discharge the measure from the Legislature’s Law Enforcement and Public Safety Committee, where it has been stalled for several months.

She also made significant changes to the bill, including eliminating all references to trap-neuterrelease activities to make the measure more palatable to lawmakers.

“I’m removing any reference to relocating cats, ear tipping, TNR (trap-neuterrelease) to make it truly only a notification law,” Petit told legislators prior to the vote.

As the law now stands, anyone conducting a cat trapping operation must inform the clerk in the municipality where the trapping will take place and post a notice of their intent at municipal offices, as well as notify residents within 1,000 feet of where the trapping will occur five days prior to the trapping operation.

The notification must include information about where the traps will be set and how people can contact the trappers in the event their own cat is caught.

The law also removes the requirement that only licensed veterinarians be allowed to euthanize a cat trapped in the operation.

Voting against the measure were Legislature Majority Leader Mary Beth Maio, R-Highland; Dean Fabiano, R-Saugerties; Richard Gerentine, R-Marlborough; Heidi Haynes, I-Marbletown; James Maloney, R-Kingston, May Wawaro, C-Saugerties; Brian Woltman, R-Kingston; Lynn Archer, D-Accord; Julius Collins, D-Ellenville; and James Delaune, D-New Paltz.