Plan reducing euthanasia, using community partners has Faribault council support – Southernminn.com

Faribault Police Chief Andy Bohlen says he has been inundated with positive and negative feedback from people with opinions on how the city should handle its roaming cat population.

After Tuesday nights meeting, however, he walked away from Faribault Council Chambers with a plan, more offers to help and the councils support.

The city began looking through the citys perceived feral cat problem last year when Zulema Delgado, the manager of Evergreen Estates in Faribault, brought the problem before the City Council, asking the city for a solution to the large number of roaming cats in her community.

After some discussion, city staff prepared a plan to address the issue, nimbly avoiding the problem that the city cannot, per its own ordinance, re-release a cat into an area from which it was removed.

Last week, the Faribault City Council was peppered with concerns about the plan to euthanize cats that cannot find a home, even though the Minnesota Humane Society stepped in at the last minute with an offer to help fund a trap, neuter and release (TNR) program.

On Tuesday night, Bohlen told the crowd his revised plan, which aims to work with local partners to reduce the number of cats that would need be euthanized, all of which could be funded without the Humane Societys help, although he indicated the city still plans to work with that entity.

Helping with Bohlens new plan are some local rescues and sanctuaries like Rescue 55021 and Furball Farms in Faribault.

If anything, the last two weeks have shown that there are a lot of people who are willing to take a large number of these animals, said Bohlen.

One of those people is Julie Marvets, the owner of Furball Farms, a sanctuary on a farm southeast of Faribaults downtown.

Marvets, who bought the farm in October after she and her husband started Carbones Pizza and Sports Bar in Faribault last year, has a number of buildings on her farm that she plans to turn into a sanctuary. In fact, Furball Farms is already functioning, with cats living in a converted garage with an attached catio, or an enclosed outdoor space.

Furball Farms has offered to take some cats in, although right now, Marvets does not know if her property is ready for the large numbers that could come her way. Plans to ready her property are in the works, she told the Daily News.

Marvets said she has already been receiving calls from people who want to drop off their cat. This, she said, she cannot do, as each cat she accepts must go through the Humane Society, or another entity that will clear the cat through the veterinary process.

According to Bohlens plan, through the Faribault Veterinary Clinic, the city will undergo that clearing process. After that, they will be posted on social media and the Police Departments website for adoption. The others will hopefully be sent to places like Furball Farms, he said.

The program would be a year-round, Monday through Friday endeavor that officials hope will get some cats off the street. As Bohlen indicated, however, the problem will never go away.

We are not going to ever rid the city of stray cats, said Bohlen. But it will be a manageable issue and it will reduce the cats that are roaming in our neighborhoods.

While TNR is not an option due to the city's ordinance, Mayor Kevin Voracek amended TNR to mean trap, neuter and relocate, instead of release.

In addition, the city is staying open minded about groups like the Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Program, or MN SNAP, which provides TNR services to various communities. Bohlen said a date in July has been proposed to work with MN SNAP, though he cautioned the city regarding the cost.

If the Humane Society is willing to work with MN SNAP to come and pay for that, wonderful, he said. Im certainly willing to do that. I dont know if we want to incur spay, neuter costs to the city. I dont think the city should take that on.

Teresa Fuld, of Rescue 55021, took the microphone during the citizen comment period to offer her help providing microchipping to Faribaults cats, which she indicated would reconnect cats with their families.

We are willing to step up in any way we can, she said.

Lori Christensen, who previously worked for Patricia Olson, a Faribault-born veterinarian who is on the forefront of feral cat issues nationwide, said she believes veterinarians would donate their time to set up a TNR clinic, only asking for compensation for equipment and materials.

A woman who identified herself as Mary said that she works for a Northfield veterinarian who could match the 40 cats that MN SNAP said it would handle in its Faribault stop in July.

Marvets, who was at Tuesdays meeting, also took the mic and offered help, taking the time to thank the council for taking on the problem and not opting to euthanize the cats.

Those who offered to help added a plea for the city to begin educating the public about neutering its animals.

Besides the public service announcement (proposed in Bohlens plan), run an educational piece to inform people, said Christensen. Include the facts about how many kittens are produced over time. Put something in on a regular basis to educate people on how important it is.

Others agreed, and some councilors indicated something had to be done. Councilor Steve Underdahl was one of those agreeing councilors, but he did not see it as the citys role.

Thats not the citys responsibility to do that, he said, asking for a collaboration between the city and the rescues and animal organizations like the Humane Society. These groups should be doing that.

However, Underdahl praised the plan that had unanimous council support.

I like the plan Chief Bohlen has put forward to us here, he said. It certainly is rooted in every effort to not euthanize. It does reduce the number of cats in the areas, which is really why this came before us.

With the cat organizations leaning on the city, asking staff and councilors not euthanize the citys roaming cat population, the city is now leaning back, asking the groups for their help.

Gunnar Olson covers city government, public safety and business for the Faribault Daily News. Reach him at (507) 333-3128, at golson@faribault.com, or follow him on Twitter @fdnGunnar.

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Plan reducing euthanasia, using community partners has Faribault council support - Southernminn.com