There’s a situation going on this week in Elkton, MD where the Mayor of the township wants to follow the wishes of some of his community and begin trapping and removing (euthanising) feral cats.
Former Playboy models and animal-activist twins Shane and Sia Barbi of Malibu, California, along with Shane’s husband, actor Ken Wahl, are calling out Elkton Mayor, Rob Alt, on the commissioner’s recent approval of how feral cats will be dealt with in his Maryland town.
Veterinarian (and cat expert/producer) Dr. Jenny Conrad as well as Stray Cat Alliance founder, Christi Metropole, are also speaking out in a major effort to save the ferals from being trapped and euthanized instead of the town implementing a TNR program. A letter written by the celebrities can be read in its entirety here.
A town meeting is set for the Mayor and Commissioners Public Meeting on Wednesday, June 3 at 7 p.m. at the Elkton Town Hall on Railroad Avenue. The public is invited to attend. Several animal activists, as well as TNR colony caregivers will be on hand to be the voice of the feral cats in danger of being killed.
Mayor Rob Alt is under the impression that listening to the residents and removing the cats will fix the problem. He doesn’t realize that another group of cats will likely take the place of any cats removed within a couple of weeks. The residents are most likely complaining because of the hormonal behavior exhibited by the females and the fights involving the males over the female making all the noise. These residents don’t realize this behavior would stop and the cats would not be seen or heard much once TNR occurs. I personally care for a feral colony that is never seen during daylight hours and currently have them in a TNR program.
From what I gather, $1,200 has been given to the town of Elkton to fix the problem. It’s up to Mayor Alt to determine what “fixing” it entails. Buddy for Life and the Eastern Shore Animal Rescue League have been contacted to help with the feral cats.
This is one of the few articles I feel the need to write on a first grade reading level because the Mayor just isn’t getting it on any other level. He doesn’t understand TNR, and apparently has no desire to research the topic.
You can contact the mayor by phone at (410) 398-0970. He also has a Facebook page here in case you’d like to send him a message defending the ferals of Elkton.
Thank you so much for taking the time to even read my petition…I never thought it would gain THIS much attention …. I thank each and every one of you for your support … Sincerely, The cazy cat lady on the corner <3
It is our pleasure, Patricia. Thanks for commenting.