The State - News from July 23, 1986

With public pressure mounting and cat lovers threatening political action, the Santa Ana City Council has dropped a plan to limit each household to three cats. On a 4-3 vote, council members tentatively agreed to set the limit at six. A final vote will come Aug 4. “I think raising this thing to six will take care of 99% of the problems,” Councilman Wilson B. Hart told a packed council meeting. “More than six, I think you’re entering the realm of zookeeper.” The issue arose last month when neighbors of Michael Fedoruk, dubbed “the Cat Man of Santa Ana,” complained about the 35 to 50 cats kept at Fedoruk’s home. Two weeks ago, the council voted to limit the number of cats to three, but that action enraged pet owners. Ruth Riddle of the Orange County Animal Assistance League said pet owners should not be penalized because of Fedoruk, who she said “ . . . needs counseling, much like a parent who allows his children to run wild in the neighborhood.”