SIMI VALLEY : Voluntary Licenses Proposed for Cats
Should cats be licensed in Simi Valley? Probably so, said the Simi Valley City Council--but on a voluntary, not mandatory basis.
The council has asked its staff to draw up papers for a voluntary licensing program and to figure out how much licenses would have to cost to pay people to run it.
But the council stopped short of giving Kathy Jenks, county animal regulation director, the mandatory licensing program she was seeking.
Jenks has begun preaching the cat-control gospel to city officials around Ventura County, hoping to persuade cities to follow Moorpark’s lead by requiring cat owners to license their pets.
In Moorpark--the only Ventura County city with a law requiring cat licenses--only 10% to 15% of owners have paid to tag their cats, Jenks told Simi Valley council members.
But Jenks said the measure helps county animal control officers sort out runaway house cats from wild strays, and helps the officers reunite pet owners with their wayward felines.
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