THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 4, 1995 TAG: 9505040393
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
Isle of Wight County may get rid of its cat license requirement because the cost of putting teeth into the law is too high.
``I like cats. I even have a cat myself,'' said county Supervisor Lud L. Spivey. ``But I have to question whether the benefits of this ordinance justify the expense.''
The tax - $5 for a neutered or spayed cat, $7 otherwise - has largely been ignored by residents of the rural county since it was passed in February 1994. Only about 50 cat tags have been sold, even though animal experts believe cats may outnumber dogs in the county, 20 to 1.
The fine for having an unlicensed cat is $15, plus $25 if the animal has not been vaccinated for rabies.
But animal control officers say they can't enforce the law strictly unless the county spends about $87,000 to expand the local animal shelter to make room for unlicensed cats.
The cats, like unlicensed dogs, would be kept at the shelter for five days and destroyed if no one claimed ownership.
The licensing idea arose as a way to get more cat owners to vaccinate their animals. Proof of rabies vaccination is required before the tags are issued.
Spivey said there might be more economical ways to deal with the rabies question.
Larry Griffin, a local Health Department official, said one case of cat rabies has been reported in the county since the beginning of 1993. Most rabies cases in the area are traced to raccoons, he said. by CNB