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DRAFT <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Executive Summary <br />This is a five-year plan to address the pressure of and concerns raised by free-roaming cats in <br />Orange County. Its overarching goal is to reduce their numbers using a humane approach that <br />involves partnerships and community involvement. This reduction in number is desirable in <br />regard to incoming cat populations in the sheltering environment, as well as a mitigation of the <br />problems such cats create within communities. <br />The report has been prepared by a task force of the Animal Services Advisory Board, working <br />closely with Animal Services staff. The work of the task force included literature research and <br />surveys of other communities currently addressing the issue of free-roaming cats. It also <br />involved public “listening sessions” for cat caretakers, community partners, wildlife advocates <br />and rehabbers, and the general public. <br />This report and plan is the final stage of Managing Pet Overpopulation: A Strategic Plan for <br />Orange County, North Carolina. Because of the unique challenges free-roaming cats create, <br />the task force and Animal Services staff feel this five-year process of education and parnership <br />is the most effective way to make significant changes in the number and status of cats in our <br />community. <br />Highlights of the report include: <br />• Education and outreach to promote spay/neuter, keeping cats inside, and identification <br />• Pilot programs for addressing cats in select areas <br />• Partnerships and community involvement <br />• Performance measures and management <br />Through this plan, the task force and staff have been able to identify ways to reduce cat <br />euthanasia and the intake of cats into the sheltering system. With decreased numbers over <br />time, the overall health and welfare of the cat and community improves, while nuisance <br />problems and sheltering costs decrease. More generally, it is hoped that this local effort <br />contributes to the paradigm shift in managing free-roaming cats that is underway, and a <br />transformation in the prevailing bond between people and pets.