Citizens Discuss State of Animal Shelters reports Georgia Paws

(EstateNewsWire.com, December 23, 2012 ) Lawrenceville, GA -- Over 100 individuals attended the public hearing of a state welfare task force in Georgia.
The group has been meeting since August, and is comprised of legislators and representatives from each of the Shelters in the area. Georgetown SPCA, Kent County SPCA, Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary, Delaware Human, and Faithful friends are all represented.

Senator Patricia Blevins (D-Elsmere) is the Chair of the task force, and stated that the meetings aimed to improve animal welfare across the entire state.

During a hearing in November, at the Legislate Hall in Dover, shelter standards were implemented, and feral cat populations, as well as quality of life, were among the main talking points of the gathering.

William Fowler of Kent County stated a particular concern of his own, as many drop off unwanted cats at his 100-acre farm.

“They seem to think it’s a good place to drop a cat,” Fowler said. “We do what we can, but with 14 or 15 cats, the costs add up.”

Fowler noted that subsidizing residence who take on extra animals for altruistic purposes should be considered. He states that he has fixed many cats, but as is to be expected, missing one or two results in kittens without fail.

“I run into a lot of feral cats,” Legett said. “And, in 90% of my investigations, I find within 10 houses someone is feeding feral cats.”

Legett stated that a raccoon and feral cat do just about an equal amount of property damage. He also pointed to the fact that, like many wild animals, feral cats carry disease. In Delaware, the skunk reigns supreme as the most diseases carried; however, feral cats rank number two.
Legett states that in the next decade, feral cats are likely to tak over skunks as the most diseased of the animals surrounding the community.

“There is no law for or against cats,” Legett said. “The state needs to do something.”
The problem becomes that there are no shelters that can handle any influx of cats.

“There is not an animals shelter in the state right now that will take a cat,” Elestine Cooper of Kent County said. “That’s never happened in all my 50 years.”

Julie Wilson, a Sussex County resident, says she adopted several dogs and cats from her local shelter; however, she states she was treated rudely by the staff.

“The staff was rude upon return. The customer service was very poor,” Wilson said.
She found out later she had been banned from adopting from KCSPCA because she returned the dog.

“If there was a way residents could take the dog home for a period of time to make sure it was a right fit, that could help,” Wilson said following the hearing.
She found the staff of Safe Haven to be much more agreeable

“The shelter was clean and friendly, and I adopted a very healthy kitten,” Wilson said. “All Delaware shelters should be inspected to see how the animals are living.”

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