The city of Bella Vista is discussing an ordinance to either require a dog license or have the dog chipped. I think that is a wonderful idea. We have always licensed our dogs and chipped them. However, what can be done about the stray cats? We have three that hang around in the woods near our house. We do not feed them, nor, to my knowledge, do the neighbors living close by. Today one killed a little bluebird in our yard. Last fall, we had to move our bird feeders to the top level of our deck because the cats literally sat 15 feet from the feeder waiting to kill the birds.
I am sure they are hard to catch, but could you possibly consider an ordinance that includes the trap-neuter-return program that other cities use. From what I have read, this works. They are a danger to small children, and adults as well. One adult neighbor here in Bella Vista encountered a stray cat on his daily walk. The cat seemed friendly and came right up to him. He reached down to pet it and it scratched his arm. The arm became infected a few days later and he had to go to the emergency room.
With more people and more homes, stray cats are becoming a bigger problem for our residents. According to the American Bird Conservancy, the number one direct human-caused threat to birds in the U. S. and Canada is cats, even well-fed cats. Outdoor cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year in the U.S.
If you own a cat, get it spayed or neutered. If you move, take your cat with you, find it a good home, or take it to a shelter.
Jane Jones
Bella Vista