A bill that would make sure cats can go home again

DENVER - When Colorado Lawmakers go back to work on Wednesday, one of the bills they will consider would require cat owners to have tags or microchips for their animals.

Westminster Rep. Cherylin Peniston and Denver Sen. Joyce Foster will introduce a bill requiring all cats in urban areas to have identification.

According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, one third of all pets, including indoor-only pets, will become lost during their lifetime; 95 percent of these pets will never return home to their owners.

If passed, the new legislation will only apply to cities with populations over 100,000. It excludes rural communities that may not have formal animal control programs and also have barn cat populations for which identification is not practical. Cities like Fort Collins that have already instituted identification requirements for cats

To help cat owners, the Metro Denver Shelter Alliance and the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society are offering more than 150,000 microchips to metro area cats free of charge through September.

The program is called "Chip Your Cat."

The program is collaboration between the DAVMS, the Dumb Friends League, and the Metro Denver Shelter Alliance members.

"The cats don't mind the microchip shot one bit. It is easy and a great resource for cat owners. We want to get 150,000 of these cats done in a year or two," said Dr. Steve Huber, a veterinarian with the Dumb Friends League.

The service is available to cats in the six-county metro area: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson Counties.

Donna Mlinek works with the Dumb Friends League and says it is about time.

"We have licensing laws for dogs and we think they should have them for cats too," said Mlinek.

More than 77,000 cats are taken in by Colorado shelters annually. Shelter officials say that translates to hardship on animals and a financial burden on many organizations.

"That is really a strain for animal control agencies and private shelters as well throughout the year, but especially when people are so budget conscious," said Emily Stone, public affairs director for the Dumb Friends League.

If you want to find an animal clinic close to you that is offering the free cat identification program log onto http://www.chipyourcat.com.

Under the proposed legislation:

- It requires all cats over 6 months of age to have some form of identification - either hang tag and collar or microchip.

- Emphasizes the need for current contact information.

- Helps animal control agencies reduce costs in these tough economic times.

- Recognizes that licensing laws work in some, but not all communities, and allowing flexibility in cities that do not currently have them.

- Provides for local control over enforcement of the identification requirements, so that cities can structure any fees or citations in a manner that works well for their citizens.

- Limits identification requirements to cities with populations over 100,000 so that urban and suburban areas with larger populations of owned, free-roaming cats are the focus.

- Recognizes that rural communities may not have formal animal control programs and also have barn cat populations for which identification is not practical.