Greenwich Ordinance to Address Feral Cat Population Explosion Begins to Take Shape

At Thursday’s Selectmen meeting, town attorney Barbara Schellenberg presented a draft ordinance (draft text at bottom of story) that would address the feral cat situation in Greenwich.

Impetus for the ordinance stems from a situation in the area of Shore Rd in Old Greenwich where feral cats have created an unsanitary situation and caused property damage.

Schellenberg said the draft ordinance was patterned after ordinances adopted in other municipalities in Connecticut. Those, in turn, were patterned after language in a state law.

First Selectman Camillo said he objected to one section of the draft ordinance that mentions euthanasia of cats.

“…within such period any cat is not claimed by or released by the owner or keeper, or purchased as a pet, the Animal control Officer shall cause such cat to be mercifully killed by a licensed veterinarian.”

Camillo said the intention of the ordinance was not to euthanize cats, but rather, he said, “We’re doing it for the animals to find them a proper place because this is not how they should be kept, and also for the residents, to give them a break.”

Schellenberg said the ordinance defined feral cat as well as a “keeper” of feral cats.

“This would cover nuisances caused by any kind of cat,” she said. “The impetus for it is feral cats.”

Schellenberg said the ordinance provided that within one year of adoption of the ordinance, a keeper of feral cats within the town shall register with the town Animal Control Officer.

When the keeper registers, the ACO would provide information regarding the proper care and management of those cats.

Also, language of the ordinance requires that the keeper of the feral cats would be required to provide vaccination of the cats against rabies and be responsible for the sterilization of the cats.

Further, she said the ordinance addresses protection of property, making clear that no person who owns or keeps the cat shall permit the animal to substantially damage property of other owners or cause an unsanitary, dangerous or unreasonably offensive condition.

Provisions dealing with impounding cats mentions advertising for the cats to be claimed, imposing fees and penalties, including more severe penalties for keepers of feral cats that have caused damage to people’s property or caused unsanitary conditions.

It would also provide for a date the ordinance would be effective if the RTM does vote to approve it.

Selectwoman Rabin asked if domestic pet cats that are not feral would be required to be tagged by the town.

“I suppose it could,” Shellenberg said.

“That’s a good point,” Camillo said.

Janet Stone McGuigan asked about the current practice by animal control once an animal is impounded.

“There are times unfortunately when they have to be put down, but if we can avoid doing that here I’d like to, because that is not the purpose at all,” Camillo said.

Ms Schellenberg said the point of the ‘merciful killing’ was to differentiate between an animal that is sick or disease, versus a healthy animal.

During public comment Eileen Grasso, who lives near the neighbor who has allowed a feral cat population to develop, asked what would happen to someone who doesn’t follow the new rules.

“It sounds like you are asking people to register their feral cats and then they have the expense of the registration, and the expense and inconvenience of having the cat neutered, which is a real disincentive to the kind of people who would allow a feral cat population to grow in their home and neighborhood,” Grasso said. “I’m not sure you’re motivating anyone to fix this problem.”

She said while she was pleased the town was initiating an ordinance, she felt neighbors were “being held hostage to the process.”

She said that after numerous cats were captured by animal control, about 15 cats remained.

She asked for more of an intervention while the ordinance was going through town processes. She pointed out that a cat’s gestation period is 60 days, and a cat can get pregnant as young as four months.

“While you’re attempting to put measures in place to prevent this problem from happening in our communities, it is a two-pronged effort: we need to intervene now,” Grasso said. “Picking up one or two cats, or two or three kittens that can be easily adopted, is not effective. If you don’t get the entire population, within three to six months you’ll have another doubling, tripling. They grow exponentially.”

Mr. Camillo said the town was responding as quickly as possible, but offered to follow with both the town attorney and Greenwich Police about additional measures in the meantime.

Grasso said while the town funded Animal Control but, the staff there are unable to keep pace with the problem.

Pam Petito agreed and suggested giving Animal Control additional funds help to enable them to capture more cats.

“Because two or three a month is just not going to make a difference,” Petito said.

“They caught six caught six cats on my property in the last month. Three of them were pregnant.”

“We will reach out to Animal Control and GPD and coordinate because it is under their jurisdiction to see if they can step up efforts in the time being,” Camillo said.

“If it’s going to be more money, we’ll check and see if there is anything left in the OFS budget.”

“TNR (trap-neuter-release) is not going to solve the problem that all of my neighbors and I are having with damage to our property. They need to be removed,” Grasso said. “The sooner the better. It’s been over four years.”

A cat for adoption at Greenwich Animal Control. March 19, 2022 Photo: Leslie Yager

Heidi Shafranek, another resident of Shore Road, agree with her neighbors.

“If I can just add, feral cats sounds scary, but they can make great pets. If anyone wants to adopt a cat from Animal Control, they’re lovely. Cats are cats,” Shafranek said.

Camillo said the residents’ input would be incorporated. The ordinance was a first read for the Selectmen. If they approve it, it moves on to the RTM.

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DRAFT ORDINANCE

CHAPTER 6E. CATS Sec. 6E-1. – Declaration of Policy.

The Representative Town Meeting of the Town of Greenwich finds and determines as follows:

(a) Feral cats and owned cats that damage property of others or cause unsanitary conditions are a nuisance and it is appropriate and necessary, pursuant to the authority of C.G.S. § 22-339d, to enact an ordinance to seek to control the population of feral cats and to eliminate the incidence of cats causing damage to property of others or causing unsanitary conditions.

Sec. 6E-2. – Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

(a) Feral cat is a free-roaming domestic cat which is not owned.

(b) Keeper is any person or organization harboring, regularly feeding or having in his or its possession any feral cat. Refusal to permit any Animal Control Officer to impound a feral cat shall be deemed evidence of keeping.

(c) Owned cat is a domestic cat owned by any person.

Sec. 6E-3. – Regulations.

(a) Within one year of the adoption of this chapter, a keeper of feral cats within the Town shall register with the Animal Control Officer for the Town.

(b) When a keeper registers with the Animal Control Officer, the Animal Control Officer shall provide information to the keeper regarding the proper care and management of feral cats.

(c) A keeper of feral cats shall provide for the vaccination of such cats against rabies pursuant to C.G.S. § 22-339b.

(d) A keeper of feral cats shall provide for the sterilization of such cats. A keeper shall be considered an eligible owner for purposes of the animal population control program established under C.G.S. §§ 22-380e to 22-380m, inclusive, provided that such cats are adopted from a municipal pound.

Sec. 6E-4. – Protection of property.

No person owning or keeping any cat shall permit such animal to:

(a) Substantially damage property other than the property of the owner or keeper; or

(b) Cause an unsanitary, dangerous or unreasonably offensive condition.

Sec. 6E-5. – Impoundment.

(a) The Animal Control Officer may take into custody any cat found to be damaging the property other than property of its owner or keeper or causing an unsanitary, dangerous or unreasonably offensive condition unless such cat can be identified as under the care of its owner or a registered keeper of feral cats.

(b) The Animal Control Officer shall impound a cat that she has taken into custody at the Town pound unless, in the opinion of a licensed veterinarian, the cat is so injured or diseased that it should be destroyed immediately, in which case the Animal Control Officer may cause the cat to be mercifully killed by a licensed veterinarian or disposed of as the State Veterinarian may direct.

(c) The Animal Control Officer shall immediately notify the owner or keeper of any cat so taken, if known, of its impoundment. If the owner or keeper of any such cat is unknown, the Animal Control Officer shall immediately tag or employ such other suitable means of identification of the cat as may be approved by the Chief Canine Control Officer and shall promptly cause a description of such cat to be published once in the lost and found column of a newspaper having a circulation in the Town.

(d) If such cat is not claimed by and released to the owner or keeper within seven days after the date of publication, the Animal Control Officer, upon finding such cat to be in satisfactory health, may sell such cat to any person who satisfied such Officer that he is purchasing it as a pet and that he can give it a good home and proper care. The Animal Control Officer may retain possession of such cat for such additional period of time as she may deem advisable in order to place such cat as a pet.

(e) If, within such period, any cat is not claimed by and released to the owner or keeper or purchased as a pet, the Animal Control Officer shall cause such cat to be mercifully killed by a licensed veterinarian or disposed of as the State Veterinarian may direct.

(f) Any cat captured or impounded under the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be redeemed by the owner or keeper thereof, or the agent of such owner or keeper, upon proper identification and presentation to the Animal Control Officer of a license, tag or other means of identification for such cat, and upon the payment by such owner or keeper or his agent of:

(1) A redemption fee of $15; and

(2) The cost of advertising incurred under the provisions of subsection (c) of this section.

(g) When the owner or keeper of any such impounded cat fails to redeem such cat within 24 hours after receiving notification to do so, or, where the owner was unknown, within 24 hours after notification was effected by means of publication in a newspaper, such owner or keeper shall pay, in addition to such redemption fee and the cost of advertising, the amount determined by the Animal Control Officer to be the full cost of detention and care of such impounded cat.

Sec. 6E-6. – Penalties.

(a) Any person who has violated Sec. 6E-4 of this chapter shall be fined $60 for each violation. Such fine is in addition to any fees collected as provided in Sec. 6E-5 of this chapter. Each day that a violation occurs or continues shall constitute a separate offense. The Animal Control Officer or her agent shall issue a notice of violation to the violator. Such notice of violation shall state the nature of the violation, the amount of the fine to be paid, and an answer date by which the fine must be paid. Unless a plea of not guilty is entered by the answer date given on the notice of violation, failure to pay the fine by the date provided in the notice shall cause the amount of the fine to triple. Payment shall be made to the Town of Greenwich.

(b) Any owner or keeper of any impounded cat who fails to redeem such cat within 120 hours after receiving notification to do so pursuant to this chapter shall be in violation of this chapter and shall be fined and issued a notice of violation in conformance with the procedure for a violation of Sec. 6E-4, as set forth in subsection (a) above.

(c) No person who destroys a cat pursuant to Sec. 6E-5(b) or (e) of this chapter shall be held criminally or civilly liable therefor.

Sec. 6E-7. – Effective Date.

(a) This ordinance [chapter] shall become effective immediately upon adoption by the RTM  

See also from the Sept 12 Selectmen meeting:

“Catastrophe about to Happen” – Neighbors Demand a New Plan for North St Bridge Project