Roanoke County requires cats to be licensed as well, and yes, I’ve paid my money to license my indoor-only kitties, although it’s been a while and I suspect I am delinquent now. Both of my cats are fixed and up-to-date on their shots and I would have no problem with paying the license fee; I am just lazy and unorganized.
The City of Salem sold out of their licenses for altered cats quickly; they have plenty of licenses left for intact felines.
My takeaway on this fact is that people who love their cats and would want them returned if they went missing are happy to pay the license fee as insurance that the city will help their cats. These are people who spay/neuter their pets and keep them current on their vaccines.
In other words, these folks are responsible pet parents. And clearly they are much more ambitious and organized than I am.
I don’t think these are the people who contribute to the stray cat problem.
What do you think about licensing cats? Do you think it helps to control the stray cat population?
