For those that believe cats, as with every other type of pet, should not be allowed to roam, visit http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/springfield-cat-ordinance to sign the petition.  If enough people sign, I will take the petition, along with sample ordinances from other cities in Oregon, to the city council meeting during public speaking.  You must be a Springfield resident to sign.  Eugene residents will have to start their own petition.

And for those who do not want your Government  passing rules and regulations controling the toilet habits of cats: remember to always vote NO on all General funding levys. The only reason local Gov does not  do this kind of  intrusive,  Big Brother, RIDICULOUS, unenforceable, rule-making is because they don't have the money to WASTE on it.

So, you want to take our officers aways from catching tweakers and thieves to hand out citations for cats?  Yeah...good luck with that one.  You and all the other petitioners can pay the salary for the cat enforcement officer.  Of course, with all the cats around you will probably need 2 full-time officers at the least. 

 

while you're at it can you get another petition started to ban dog owners who allow their dogs to defecate on our lawns and in our parks and then leave it up to us to clean it up with our shoes and our childrens shoes and dont forget a petition banning the wild birds who poop on our cars and homes while in flight, then again theres also a petition needed for bird owners who allow their birds to scream ridiculious sounds from their windows everytime someone walks by..and on and on......you people need to get a life and spend time on really important issues like finding homes for the homeless and providing food for the unfortunates and medical care for the needy, maybe I'll start a petition to prevent people requesting stupid petitions and forcing them to get a life !!! A REAL LIFE THATS ACUALLY PRODUCTIVE AND HELPS OTHERS BESIDES THEMSELVES !!!    Yes I'm a cat/dog owner and proud of it         

Very well said Busymom....lol...kudos 

REDCITY8
And for those who do not want your Government  passing rules and regulations controling the toilet habits of cats: remember to always vote NO on all General funding levys. The only reason local Gov does not  do this kind of  intrusive,  Big Brother, RIDICULOUS, unenforceable, rule-making is because they don't have the money to WASTE on it.

RE: If people would be considerate of their neighbors, the government would not have to pass such laws. 

busymom:

while you're at it can you get another petition started to ban dog owners who allow their dogs to defecate on our lawns and in our parks and then leave it up to us to clean it up with our shoes and our childrens shoes and dont forget a petition banning the wild birds who poop on our cars and homes while in flight, then again theres also a petition needed for bird owners who allow their birds to scream ridiculious sounds from their windows everytime someone walks by..and on and on......you people need to get a life and spend time on really important issues like finding homes for the homeless and providing food for the unfortunates and medical care for the needy, maybe I'll start a petition to prevent people requesting stupid petitions and forcing them to get a life !!! A REAL LIFE THATS ACUALLY PRODUCTIVE AND HELPS OTHERS BESIDES THEMSELVES !!!    Yes I'm a cat/dog owner and proud of it         

RE:  Wow, if you are so busy doing good deeds, how do you find time to post on here?  I am a responsible pet owner and do not let my pets affect others an any way.  My cat stays inside.  My dog goes outside to do her business in my own yard, which I clean up.  My dog is trained not to bark.  I would like others to provide the same courtesy in the care of their pets.  If people do not want the full responsiblity of pet ownership, they should not have them.

sillyme:

So, you want to take our officers aways from catching tweakers and thieves to hand out citations for cats?  Yeah...good luck with that one.  You and all the other petitioners can pay the salary for the cat enforcement officer.  Of course, with all the cats around you will probably need 2 full-time officers at the least. 

 

RE:  There is already an animal control officer with the Springfield Police Department.  They do not take detectives off of their cases to chase cats.  I do not expect officers to chase cats at all.  Your friendly neighbors will be more than happy to turn your cat into the pound for them.  I started this petition because of the cats that are being shot in Springfield by angry neighbors.  I felt it was a better alternative than the one chosen by the shooters.  However, if you feel it is better that your cat is shot, rather than you keeping it inside, then continue to let it roam.

"In addition, it is in the best interest of the cats to be kept indoors."

Oh yeah - Heaven forbid we let animals outside! HMMM. Morons!

duckfan23:

"In addition, it is in the best interest of the cats to be kept indoors."

Oh yeah - Heaven forbid we let animals outside! HMMM. Morons!

Thank you for your thoughts.  You seem extremely intelligent when you take a sentence out of context and reply to it using your superior ability of getting your point across with your impressive vocabulary.  I for one have been swayed by your powerful argument.

I used to like cats.  Since moving to Springfield 4 years ago, I no longer like cats.  I don't own any cats, however at any given time of the day, I can look out on my deck and see at least 4 cats.  A few months ago, on a particularly nice day, I looked out my kitchen window out onto our deck and counted 13 cats!!!  13!!!!!  Apparently one of the cats was in heat and every male cat in the world decided to visit.  Again, I don't own any cats.  They have destroyed my flower beds, they defecate in my lawn, they have torn up all of the door frames around the house from sharpening claws, they have gotten in my garage and sprayed everywhere, ruining much of our camping equipment and other odds and ends and yet again, I don't own a cat!

Is this the part where I'm supposed to agree that cats are free agents and should be allowed to go where they please?  Um.. how bout NO.  If people can't take care of their pets then they shouldn't have them.   I should not have to be concerned about my own home because my neighbors are incapable of making wise choices.  If you can't control your animals, don't have them. 

Poorandbored, while I am a total and complete cat lover I can empathize with your situation.  I have 5...yes count em 5, cats.  All my cats are spayed/neutered, have current vaccinations and are like my furry little children.  Also, they are all rescued animals.  Had I not taken them in, they would probably have ended up like one of the 14 cats on your deck.

It disgusts me also the people who do not take care of their pets.  Trapping my cats indoors not only isn't an option, but to them it would be cruel.  Here is only a bit of advice I can give you.  I have one neighbor who REALLY doesn't like cats.  And there have been a few times when my cats have errr been "caught" in the act in his yard.  We are friendly towards each other and each of us knew that the other wouldn't budge in our ideas.  What I did do tho, was spend money in every anti-cat trick in the book and tell him how to use it in his yard.  I also bought him 2 HUGE super soakers to nail the perpetrators when they came into his yard.

Honestly, i've never seen an old man have so much fun and the cats got the idea. On a quiet night you can sometimes hear the whoosh of water and his chuckle.

BTW...the supersoakers worked with my cats.  Now its just the strays he has fun with.

I would have to agree with the petition...I should be able to go outside and ENJOY my yard and so should my daughter without the worry of CATS being in the yard. My daughter is ALLERGIC to cats and CANNOT deal with their DANDER or their HAIR. And she has to use an EPI PEN. The neighbors DO NOT CARE if their cats roam. They do not care if the cats DESTROY others property weather it be plants, trees, flowers,veggie garden and the list goes on. Cats are a danger to the local wildlife too, They contribute to te feral cat population..which I have seen first hand, and ALOT of them that were in the area I am talking about ended up dead because they ran into the road. Nothing worse than your kid SEE a cat get killed in front of them.

All you people who say " You must hate cats if you agree with this" are only seeing what you want, Why would there have to be  OFFICERS taken away from their duties to catch cats? Springfield has an Animal Control Officer. You make up all the excuses you want, Reality is SOMETHING needs to be done. And their are ALOT of  cat owners that are irresponsible and should not have a cat to begin with,much less any other animal.

As far as comparing a cat to a dog...that is really a lame copout. Maybe if you learned to respect your neighbor and their property and their right to not have a cat in their yard maybe this would not be happening. But as adults you are acting like little 3 years olds that have to get their way about everything.

Sillyme,

It is commendable that you used your time and resources to work out the issue with your neighbor.  However, not all cat owners are so willing to resolve the issue as you have shown to be.  Also, most people, myself included, do not have the time of an elderly retired man to patrol their yard with a water gun for the time it would take to train the cats.  Many people do not want the responsibility of training someone else’s cats.  I am glad it has worked out for you and your neighbor.  It is nice to hear a happy ending regarding this issue.  Unfortunately, most cases of this nature remain a frustration for the victims as in the case of Poorandbored.

 

I am a very busy mom and dont spend all my time doing "good" deeds but I actually allow myself time between 11pm and 8am to read stupid comments if thats okay with you ???  my cats stay indoors and my dogs only roam on my property, if I lived in a more populated area I wouldnt allow my animals to roam if anything just as a courtesy to others. By the way with all my volunteer work that I do I feel I give enough to allow myself to respond with educated remarks to un-educated people like you.