City of Redwood Falls, Redwood Area Animal Shelter, remind residents of their policies about feeding, catching stray cats

Earlier this month, KLGR told you about a volunteer program in Redwood Falls, started by Jenny Reynolds and called “Community Cats of Redwood Falls”. The goal: to trap and neuter wild cats living in town, to find homes when possible for the ones who can be tamed, and release the feral ones so that they can’t at least add more kittens to the mix.

As reminders, the City of Redwood Falls, and the Redwood Area Animal Shelter, have released statements about their policies regarding the feeding and catching stray cats in town.

The City of Redwood Falls’ statement reads, in part, “Being a pet owner comes with a certain level of responsibility …. Yet in every community there are those who do not take that responsibility seriously, and so many of those pets end up roaming the city streets. Redwood Falls is no exception. As a result, city leaders find themselves needing to adopt ordinances that address issues related to pet responsibility, especially that of animals running at large. According to the community’s ordinances, it is unlawful for the owner of any animal to allow that animal to run at large.”

Acknowledging that stray and feral cats have been a problem in the community for some time, the City created an ordinance making it unlawful to feed stray or feral cats when doing so causes those animals to become a nuisance, or creates an environment where the safety, health and welfare of the community could be compromised.

Redwood Falls Police Chief Jason Cotner stated he knows of people in the community who have taken it upon themselves to feed stray and feral cats. While he believes their intentions may be good, they are really making the problem worse.

According to Cotner, the police department does receive calls related to stray and feral cats, but he stated the police department does not trap cats. Instead, there is a program through which residents can check out a live trap from city hall. If residents capture a cat, they can take that animal, along with a letter from the city to the Redwood Area Animal Shelter and drop it off there without a fee.

The Redwood Area Animal Shelter, for its part, has released a statement supporting the recent “trap, neuter, release” program created by Jennifer Reynolds. The shelter’s statement says, “Redwood Falls community, now is the time to donate to the Jennifer Bratsch Reynolds’ cat trap neuter release. With so many cats in town, and a willing person to take the time to make a difference, the least we can do is help fund her and stop over-population of unwanted cats. The shelter can not take feral cats; we have our hands full with tame ones. So here’s your opportunity to help make a difference! Please DONATE every bit helps to keep this going.”

More information about the City’s policies may also be found on the city’s website at ci.redwood-falls.mn.us.

To learn more about Community Cats of Redwood Falls, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/rnf6uj-community-cats

To learn about adopting a pet, visit the Redwood Area Animal Shelter Web site at redwoodareaanimalshelter.com.