Proposed fine to bite hand of softies

Feeding strays could crumble your budget in New Port Richey if an ordinance passes.

By CARRIE RITCHIE
Published July 18, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - The days of tossing out bread crumbs for the ducks or setting out a saucer of milk for that stray cat might be coming to a close.

The City Council got its first glimpse Tuesday evening of a proposed animal control ordinance that would, among other things, make it illegal to feed stray or wild animals. That includes foxes, opossums and raccoons - as well as neighborhood ducks and stray dogs and cats.

The measure would also require residents to call authorities within 48 hours of taking in a stray.

The new rules would help control flocks of stray animals - especially cats - that have been gathering in certain areas where residents feed them, said Chief Code Enforcement Officer Michael Nastasuk. He said the Jasmine Heights area has been particularly problematic.

"You get hoards of cats and they're not cared for in a manner that a domesticated animal really should be," Nastasuk told the Pasco Times on Tuesday. "This is an attempt to try to mitigate circumstances such as those."

And the feeding and harboring provisions are just a couple of changes. The biggest change is a new section addressing the procedure for declaring a dog vicious after it has attacked someone. The owner would be required to confine the dog and meet other safety requirements.

The proposed feeding ban drew mixed reactions at the City Council meeting Tuesday night.

Deputy Mayor Ginny Miller described a woman in her neighborhood who feeds stray cats from her oversized purse. It's understandable that people want to help, Miller said, but officials worry about the stray population getting out of hand.

"The legislative dilemma is the poor animal outside who needs help versus the crazy lady attracting more strays," city attorney Tom Morrison said.

Suellen Szesyski, president of the Humane Society of Pasco County, argued that it would be inhumane to not feed a hungry animal.

"If I look out my door and see a hungry cat, I'm going to feed it," she told council members.

The ordinance will return to the council Aug. 7 for a second hearing and a vote. Council members want to strike the current rule allowing only three pets per household but requested no changes to the proposed feeding ban.

Such a ban would be for the better, said Martha Murray, director of Suncoast Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which handles the city's stray animals.

Murray told the Pasco Times that wild animals like raccoons and opossums can become aggressive when they expect food and can learn to depend on people, which hinders their self-defense.

She said reporting stray cats and dogs to the police is best so the SPCA can have them spayed or neutered. If the pets are lost, she said, the SPCA can help find the rightful owner or new homes for those pets.

And with shelter overcrowding, responsibility is a must.

"We're packed to the gills," she said. "It's just overwhelming. If you're going to feed them, you need to make a bigger commitment."

Enforcing a feeding ban would be a challenge, though. Nastasuk said they'll depend mostly on neighbors reporting neighbors because these violations would be hard to notice from a patrol car.

But authorities are serious about punishing violators, he said. A violation will cost residents up to $500.

If nothing else, making certain behaviors illegal will make people aware that they're wrong, Murray said.

"It's difficult," she said, "but it's a place to start."

Carrie Ritchie can be reached at critchie@sptimes.com. 

[Last modified July 18, 2007, 08:48:55]