I think as long as your cat is spayed/neutered they are fine to run loose, and have rabies vac. If they aren't fixed it should be illegal to let them run loose.

The question wasn't really answered. "Because the State says so?" How does he know these cats are being vacinated if owners don't have to show proof?Why dogs and not cats? Maybe State law should be updated or the town should change their law. My dogs are neutered/spayed and up to date on their shots yet I have to pay to License them...
Years ago dogs were licensed because they ran wild and would get into farmers livestock. The fees would be used to repay the farmers for their loss. It also ensured that rabies vacines were updated. We now have leash laws that prevent dogs from running loose, however, cats are free to roam and the town has no idea how many there are because they are not licensed!
I feel cats should be licensed as well as dogs, all or none. Why just dogs? There are more cats out there that are not updated on their rabies, in fact I know MANY that never take their cats to a Vet!
I really think the Town needs to be fair to ALL pet owners and not just charge Dog owners…it's a bit archaic and discriminatory.

Pat asked why dogs and not cats- well cats are very different animals. Some cats have a natural wild side and are just not able to be kept indoors 24 hours a day. I know of a vet in Danvers who has had a cat like that. Of course her cat was very well taken care but having worked at a vet practice for 9 years and assisting for several years at a rabies vaccination clinic I know many cats get just the bare minimum of care or none at all. How would a cat licensing policy work? Would the animal control officer have to trap every cat and try to track down its owner? Every vet recommends a microchip but at a typical cost of $35 or more most people don't get their pets microchipped. So would every cat that's not microchipped be euthanized automatically under that law? Of course there are feral cats around but you can't always distinguish who has a home and who doesn't unless you know the owner. And what about owners that keep their cats indoors? Would they require licenses too? My cats are strictly indoors because the threat of cars and coyotes is too great but luckily mine are content with indoor life. They are however microchipped because you never know if theres a house fire or you are moving and they get out. Just as in children and vaccinations its the owners responsibility to vaccinate their pets. If your pets are vaccinated it shouldnt contract rabies. If a person is bitten & the pet owner doesnt have proof of vaccine they would need to be treated regardless.

I forgot my other point- many cats can not keep a collar on. Breakway collars are the safest but easiest for the cat to get off. If a cat doesn't have a tag on them how would a person know if they have a license or not. Again would every cat have to be trapped and scanned for a microchip if microchipping was mandatory under the law or ordinance? And who would pay for the cost of hiring additional staff to do all this extra work? The licensing fee would have to be far greater than the cost for dogs' licenses for that plan to work.

Fara, I completely understand your points. But it isn't fair to make dog owners pay a licensing fee just because there are more cats than dogs. Our dogs can't run free like cats can…..we can walk them on a leash, but cats are free to roam. So basically, dogs could be considered "indoor" pets as well…should we not have to license them because there is now a leash law? I honestly feel that licensing only dogs is unfair.
Maybe if cats had to be licensed their owners would be better about getting them vacinated and spayed/neutered. I have tiny dogs that wear a collar but again, they can not roam free as cats can.
I just think that dogs shouldn't have to be licensed anymore. It's an added expense that is no longer necessary due to leash laws….Either license all or none.
I would really like Mr Marandi to tell us why it is only dogs and not other pets.

One more thing, in regards to "How would a cat licensing policy work? " why not the same as the Dog Licensing policy?

IT IS ALL ABOUT $$$$$$$. Just suggest it and the Government can find another tax. Cats and Dog get licensed. I agree no dogs or cats but it is all about $$$$$.

Just wondering where the money from Dog Licensing goes now that we have a leash law...

I have to agree that what's fair for dogs is also fair for cats. One other point, outdoor cats can leave their feces in anyone's garden and though in our climate the risk is small, contact with cat feces by pregnant women can cause toxoplasmosis (go to americanpregnancy.org). Why should a non-cat owning woman have to think about that.
Being a gardening with a Nat'l Wildlife Fed. Certified Wildlife Habitat property, it troubles me when I see cats prowling my yard after I have worked to attract assorted wildlife.
Outdoor cats should have no more right on my property then a loose dog. I would actually prefer visits from dogs. They don't kill the wildlife or leave feces buried in my garden.

Thank you Ingrid! I love cats as well as dogs, but you'r right, this is a health hazard. I just feel dog owners are treated unfairly. There are a few states that mandate cats also be licensed and many states leave it up to the individual city or town, more and more are licensing cats now. And I am unable to find out what our license fees pay for…Maybe it's time for the State to review this law, now that we have leash laws in place.
Licensing cats would hopefully make cat owners more responsible regarding Vet visits, spay/neutering and rabies vacines. It did with dogs!

Yes. toxoplasmosis is a very serious health risk to unborn fetuses but pregnant women should not be gardening in the first place, or at the very least wearing gloves. Their are other toxins in the soil that can be harmful. Incidentally I have worked with cats myself when I was pregnant and I know several vets and techs who also did and had very healthy babies. Toxoplasmosis is only a threat after stool is more than 24 hours old. The idea that cat feces is a health risk to the general population is a bit alarmist. Their are much greater health risks to our community from toxins in the soil, water& air such as the high lead and arsenic levels discovered in the Crane River. The answer to an over population of feral cats (which Danvers does not have an extreme level compared to other local towns) is not in euthanising every cat found outdoors. Their are several cat colonies and their volunteers trap, neuter, and release. They are marked visibly so they can be identified as spayed or neutered. Their is a great organization- Commonwealth Cats if you want to look them up- that does monthly neauter clinics in local communities. More importantly these cats that are trapped get vaccinated for rabies, leukemia & distemper. Rabies vaccination is the law in MA but it would be very time consuming to trap & scan every outdoor cat in Danvers. If cat owners had to pay a licensing fee the responsible ones might but not everyone would as not everyone vaccinates which is a more serious issue.

Fara, I agree and would NEVER want to see an innocent animal euthanized. I just don't think its fair to only make dog owners pay to license when it is mostly the cat owners that aren't keeping their animals up to date on vaccines. There is no way of checking with owners because there is no licensing required. I still feel it should be both or none, it's discriminatory toward dog owners. And where does the licensing money go?

I too would like to know what the money from licensing fees is used for. I do know an animal control officer in another local town whom I may see on Sunday. I'll have to ask her if she knows.

Hi Pat and Fara -- I will check in and find out about where the money from licensing fees goes, and we'll feature it in an upcoming You Ask, Patch Answers.

Ridiculous idea. Should we round up the turkeys too?

According to another local animal control officer the fees go back into the animal control budget for expenses such as trapping feral animals. Incidentally Seabeook nh does require licensing and microchip ping cats.

Thanks Fara, I actually found out that a lot of Cities and Towns are rethinking their policies (and some have already required licensing cats)…updating them because of the new leash laws! Maybe it's time Danvers does it too!

This is why:

"With the close association of dogs and humans in daily life (largely as pets), dog attacks — with injuries from very minor to significant (severe to fatal) — are extremely common, with fifty percent of the payout of home insurance due to attacks committed by homeowners' dogs. Attacks on the serious end of the spectrum have become the focus of increasing media and public attention in the late 20th and early 21st centuries."

"It is estimated that two percent of the US population, 4.7 million people, are bitten each year. In the 1980s and 1990s the US averaged 17 fatalities per year, while in the 2000s this has increased to 26. 77% of dog bites are from the pet of family or friends, and 50% of attacks occur on the dog owner's property."

The most I could find regarding cats is that 750,000 people each year report cat bites that at worst result in an iritating infection.

This topic is pure and simple, dog owners want to find someone else to share the bill with but the fact of the matter is the cost of animal control including most of the training costs and legal settlements center around the handling of dangerous animals such as large snakes, bears, mountain lions, and yes, dogs.

Pat, animal control also needs to deal with skunks, deer, turkeys, and a number of other animals. Dog licensing fees do not cover all of the costs of running an animal control unit, that is paid by our taxes which I already pay more than enough of.

Dog licensing fees question will be answered tomorrow a.m.!

Wow, I just read those articles. Even one death is too many…I hope Molly reads these and maybe forwards them to the health inspecter. Although we all know he won't do anything about it.
Thank you Robin, proof that cats and dogs should all be treated the same.