Comprehensive Cat Reform

Monday, the gentlemen I was at lunch with, encouraged me to bring this idea back up. They liked the idea and wanted to use it in their cities, so here it is.

Together as a community, we could participate at various levels to start chipping away the feral cat problem. This is a multi-layered plan that requires a lot of people to give a little, a few people to be proactive in their neighborhoods and a government to provide the structure and oversight.

First things first.
We know that citizens will help by renting a trap and they will also take the captured feral cat to the Humane Society. However, in the past few years, the local Humane Society has started charging collection fees. This action has discouraged those who are willing to do the heavy lifting in our neighborhoods. We have good people that are willing to do the work, they just can't afford to pay for every feral cat that is captured.

What can local government do?
We can set up a voluntary fund to cover the cost associated with the program. The City has over 20,000 users that receive a bi-monthly water bill. If any of those users wish to contribute toward the program, let them! It would be a voluntary, optional charge included on the water bill. Of course, you MUST op-in to join. This is not for everyone, it's probably only for those who are animal lovers and want to see a humane solution to this ever increasing problem of overpopulation of feral cats.

The money that would be collected in this special account, would go to pay for vouchers that city residents could request. The voucher could pay for the processing fee that the Humane Society charges. The idea behind the voucher program would be to collect money and buy vouchers in bulk thus, saving on administrative costs at the Humane Society.

There will be some kittens and litters that have a chance to be socialized. Those cats could be neutered, vaccinated, and could be adopted to good homes. There will be some ill, diseased, and injured cats, and those animals could have a humane euthanasia. This seems like a positive alternative, to deteriorating in pain in the wilderness or a back alley somewhere.


That's it.
1. You op-in and voluntary pay a few cents more a month.
2. City residents could request vouchers.
3. Residents that receive vouchers, could do as they have in the past and rent the trap, collect, and deposit the feral cat at no extra expense to them.
4. The feral cats collected, could have an opportunity to live a disease-free, long life in a loving home.

Weekend Movie Review

Lets start with Dinner for Schmucks, I saw this movie on Friday. I was excited to see the new Steve Carrell flick, I enjoy his humor and I like most of his stuff. Well not really this one. Man, did it take a long time to get to the dinner, which is really what every one wants to see. It just had a lot of build up and a quick happy ending. Save your money unless you really want to see it. If that is the cast just go see Salt, because most of the good parts of this movie are in the previews before Salt.

Saturday evening I put my mind on pause and watched Inception, this was a nice change of pace from the previous movie, however it was a much faster pace. Lots of stuff to take in and you really don't stop wondering about it until after you are out of the theater. Leonardo DiCaprio can go inside your dreams and mess with your mind, kind of a cool story but also dry, definitely one that hasn't been repeated to death. Ellen Page was in the movie and I saw her at Comic-Con, so that is already worth more points than the Schmucks movie.

What could be a better way to conclude the weekend than with a Sunday night movie? Tonight was Salt. Angelina Jolie is a bad ass and still smoking hot, so this was the best movie of the weekend. She plays the best character she knows how to play. A bad ass. What more can I say? It was better than the disappointing Steve Carrell movie and the weird Leonardo DiCaprio one.


There you go that's it.