RE: Tuesday, February 1, 2022, City Council Meeting: Federal American Rescue Plan Act funding
Request for help with America Canyon's feral cat population.
Mr. Leon Garcia, Mayor
Ms. Mariam Aboudamous, Vice Mayor
Mr. Mark Joseph, Council Member
Mr. David Oro, Council Member
Mr. Pierre Washington, Council Member
Honorable Council Members,
My name is Andre Gardiner, and I have been a resident of American Canyon in the Cookie Hill neighborhood since 1995. I am requesting city help with Trap, Neuter, and Release (TNR) services for feral cats in American Canyon. I am asking you to consider using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for this purpose. I believe these needs are well within the ARPA funds allowable expenditures as a community service and an educational service.
The feral cat population in American Canyon has exploded during the pandemic. Several people in American Canyon are trying to solve this city-wide issue with TNR services. While unpopular with many, TNR programs in cities have shown to be effective. The work is hard and expensive.
Humane trapping and holding the animals takes time. Traveling for the services in Napa is stressful for the trapper and the animal and challenging to work schedules. We need help in American Canyon.
How can the city help?
Short Term
1. Recognize this is a city issue, and we need to solve this as a city.
2. Provide space where volunteers can store and access equipment such as traps, food, and shelters.
3. Help citizens obtain Napa County spay and neuter vouchers here in American Canyon.
Currently, you obtain vouchers at the Napa County Animal Shelter for spay and neuter services at Napa Humane.
4. Recognize feral community colonies and help fund the dollars spent by volunteers for food, shelter, equipment, and veterinarian costs for injured or ill cats.
5. Recognize feral community colonies and do not allow the open and willful moving of colonies and the destruction of the colony shelters and water and food bowls.
6. Communicate and advocate a city-wide TNR initiative. Help change the negative attitude toward community cats and help the citizens of American Canyon understand the solution is not to ignore the animals and let them continue to reproduce, starve and suffer.
7. Provide a resource and community volunteer site on the American Canyon website.
8. Appoint someone on your council to help create a positive, sustainable program.
Mid Term
1. Have the city help find veterinarians and clinics to take feral cats for neutering and spaying.
2. Run a city program to educate pet owners to spay and neuter their pets and not let them roam free. Help pet owners pay for pet spay and neuter services.
3. Advocate and help find resources to keep pets in the owners' homes when finances or veterinary bills make it difficult for pet owners to do so.
4. Advertise and advocate nonjudgmental ways for pet owners to surrender pets that owners can no longer care for, so the pets are not abandoned.
5. Advocate for pet adoption.
Long Term
1. Engage other cities with open communication for sharing resources and long-term solutions.
2. Establish a local space where veterinarians can perform the surgeries in American Canyon.
3. Establish a Napa Humane branch for South Napa County.
Benefits
1. Reduction of unwanted feral cats in American Canyon
2. Reduction of animal pain and suffering
3. Support of several American Canyon City Council strategic goals • Community and Sense of Place: Expand the network of community groups and volunteer opportunities
• Transportation: Improve traffic flow along Highway 29 by eliminating the need to travel to Napa for TNR services
• Organizational Effectiveness: Emphasize customer service and community priorities
• Organizational Effectiveness: Demonstrate leadership in environmental sustainability
Thank you for your time.
Andre Gardiner
Napa Humane
https://napahumane.org/our-work/community-cats/what-is-a-community-cat-definitions/ Napa County Animal Shelter: "The Community Cat Program (formerly Trap-Neuter-Release) is the way to go to prevent unwanted kitten litters and keep healthy cats from unnecessarily entering the shelter system."
https://www.countyofnapa.org/1023/Animal-Shelter