I’d like to offer some thoughts about the pending resolution to limit the number of cats that can be owned in the City of Jamestown. As the owner of 14 cats, I am obviously strongly opposed to any legislation that would require me to “get rid” of any of them for the following reasons:

1) All my cats are spayed or neutered;

2) My cats are well-fed and cared for, and receive veterinary attention when necessary. I have two special needs cats who are on daily medication and/or receive regular injections.

3) My cats are indoors/outdoors as they are either prior farm cats or strays who have joined me since my move here and are accustomed to having freedom of movement. While I recognize this may cause some inconvenience to some of my neighbors, they primarily play and hunt in several vacant lots behind me where there is brush cover for small game such as mice, moles or possibly rats.

I fully understand and appreciate the concerns of residents as to the proliferation of the cat population, as well as the welfare of cats whose owners are not responsible or cannot adequately care for their pets. Nevertheless, I believe that enacting any regulation restricting the number of cats that can occupy a residence is foolish since it doesn’t begin to address the problem of stray, feral or neglected cats. I would be willing to pay a nominal fee each year to license my cats, thus allowing the city to know whose animals they are and to help cover a decent TNR program.

As to the nuisance issue, we need to understand that we ALL have things about living in a city that we find annoying or disturbing. For me, it’s loud music and traffic – especially those whiny bikes that downshift right in front of my house multiple times a day. For others, it may be the noise of neighborhood children or late night drinking sessions on a neighbor’s porch or, yes, neighborhood cats. There are many aspects about living in a city that we each have to accept and adapt to in order to allow community members the freedom to live as they please, as long as they harm no other. I can offer a few suggestions for people annoyed by free-range cats however:

1) I presume the biggest complaint is feces left by cats (and dogs, of course). There are a few things you could do to prevent that problem:

a) Keep your lawn mowed so that grass height doesn’t tempt them to use your lawn as a potty;

b) Instead of using wood chip garden mulch, which looks and feels to them like litter box material, try using attractive white garden stone to cover the bare spots in your flowerbed or border. It lasts longer and can be used over wood chip mulch if desired; or

c) Leave a small area of leaf mulch, sand or other “scratchy” material in a far corner of your yard which would tend to divert their attention from your lawn or garden areas.

2) Other complaints I’ve heard have to do with kitty footprints on car windows and roofs (yes, they find your car roof warm and cozy), or cats fighting over food or territory, or marking territory by spraying car tires or house foundations. A good fix is a water pistol to use when you find any of these actions happening. I think you will find things like fighting or spraying will diminish as more and more males are TNRed.

I arrived in Jamestown in 2020 bringing 6 cats from my farm. Two were rather elderly and have since passed on. However, I’ve taken in neighborhood strays over time, one of which gave birth to kittens. Every one of them has been desexed and vetted. Others come occasionally to feed but not to stay. Should they opt to move in, they will receive the same treatment. Cats are the constant in my life, a part of my family.

It seems to me that landlords already have the option of determining how many and what type of pets a tenant may own. If we focus on the animals that can be TNRed instead, we can handle this problem in a humane and sympathetic manner without restricting the freedoms of cat-loving homeowners to house the number of pets they can afford and are willing to house. I strongly urge the council not to adopt a regulation that limits the number of cats I can house here.

Judith Korff is a Jamestown resident.