KRISTIN NETTERSTROM
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Free-roaming cats would have to be sterilized and microchipped to continue their wandering, under an ordinance Little Rock directors are scheduled to vote on Tuesday.

The capital city wants to update various animal laws, increasing the fee for keeping a “dangerous” dog from $100 to $150 and adding a section on how to deal with dangerous cats.

The idea of an attack cat has city directors laughing, but they realize that Little Rock’s animal-control officers have no authority to rein in angry felines that bite or attack at random.

“If there’s a troubled cat, I have no way of controlling the situation like I do with dogs,” said Tracy Roark, the city’s Animal Services manager.

Last year, a rogue house cat in the Heights neighborhood attacked passers-by for no reason. Roark didn’t have the legal authority to place special restrictions on the cat, such as requiring that it be kept indoors.

“It’s very frustrating to have one situation with no policy to address it,” City Director Doris Wright said last week.

Under the proposed ordinance, the city would have the authority to declare a cat “dangerous” if it attacks a person unprovoked. An owner of such a cat would have to pay $25 for a permit, and the cat would be required to stay indoors.
The same ordinance sets minimum standards of care for a cat, such as providing clean water and enough food to keep it healthy. Owners could be ticketed for not providing cats access to “a structurally sound, moisture-proof and windproof shelter.”

But what has the attention of most cat owners is the city’s desire to microchip and sterilize roaming cats.

Initially the requirement would have applied to feral cats, that live in the wild and aren’t owned by anyone. After listening to speakers at public hearings, city officials decided it would be impossible to hold anyone accountable for the wild cats.

The proposed law that city directors are to vote on Tuesday would apply only to pet cats that are let outside. Cats that stay indoors and never go outside aren’t covered.

Animal-control officers will carry scanners to check cats for microchips, which often include names or addresses of the owners or identification numbers than can be traced back to the owners.

Roark, along with the city’s animal advisory board, worked on the proposed regulations. They hope to reduce the number of unwanted cats and strays and reunite lost cats with their owners.

In 2008, Little Rock euthanized more than 1,300 cats.

Cities across the country have passed or considered similar laws to help reduce cat populations. A handful of cities require all cats and dogs to be sterilized or microchipped. Last year, Crossett in Ashley County passed its law requiring all cats and dogs to be microchipped.

Earlier in the year, residents at public hearings supported sterilization but voiced concerns about the cost of microchipping cats. Others said sterilization would be a waste of taxpayers’ money to try and enforce.

“We don’t have enough spay-neuter clinics for cats to accommodate what we think is going to be an influx,” said Lynne McAllester, board president of Feline Rescue and Rehome. “I think Little Rock is going to have to take the lead in that if they want to take the lead in decreasing the number of euthanasias at their shelter.”

If the ordinance passes, Roark said not to expect the same crackdown the city had on pit-bull registration. Animal-control officers won’t be out in force picking up cats, checking whether they’re sterilized and scanning for microchips.

To read the rest of this article, please subscribe to ArkansasOnline. The article ran in the Arkansas section on June 15, 2009.