Boulder City won’t stop euthanizing feral cats

A stray cat hides near stables at the Boulder City Horseman’s Association Oct. 9.

Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008 | midnight

Boulder City animal control does not plan to follow in Clark County's steps in its treatment of feral cats, officers said.

Mary Jo Frazier said the County Commission's recently implemented "trap, neuter and release" cat program won't supersede local ordinances, which force extermination of all unmarked, unfriendly "running at large" animals.

"A feral cat colony can only work if they're completely enclosed, under our ordinance," she said.

Animals must be indoors or they're technically deemed "running at large," with the exception of leashed pets. A feral cat colony in Boulder City would need to be sheltered and its parameters defined, something unrealistic, Frazier said.

The Clark County Commission Sept. 2 unanimously approved the new feral cat policy, aimed at reducing the 200,000-strong feral cat population in the Las Vegas Valley.

The ordinance legalizes feeding and providing shelter for wild felines if they are neutered and vaccinated by a responsible caretaker at the caretaker's expense. The caretaker must have the sponsorship of an animal rescue or humane society, and must have the ears of the trapped and released cats clipped for recognition.

Proponents of the program say the cats protect their territory from other animals and, because they are neutered, the population decreases over time.

Such a program won't work in Boulder City, where the "unhandlable" feral cats don't live in packs, but are still a major problem, Frazier said.

To deal with untamed cats in alleys and yards, feral or not, Frazier sets up humane cat traps whenever residents file a complaint about an area.

She said she usually has about 10 traps out at once, and only one in every 10 cats trapped is wearing identification and able to be returned to the owner.

The unidentifiable cats are given a five-day behavioral test to determine their sociability. If the cats are aggressive and she can't handle them or look at their mouths, they're deemed feral and exterminated. She estimates half the cats are feral. Euthanizing feral kittens is not at all rare, she said.

If the cats are friendly, they're put up for adoption, but may not be adopted and could still be killed, Frazier said.

She's also taking more animals in than she has before, she said, and the imbalance is resulting in more euthanized animals.

She blames the national financial crisis: "With the economy, I really don't think people want another mouth to feed."

Last month, she put down 31 animals— cats, dogs and other animals — an increase from 27 in September 2007 and 15 in September 2006.

Frazier had no cost estimate for what it takes to euthanize each animal.

Cassie Tomlin can be reached at 948-2073 or cassie.tomlin@hbcpub.com.