Rhode Island Law Is the Cat’s Meow: State to Require Cat Caretakers to Spay or Neuter Their Feline Companions

With millions of homeless and unwanted animals in this country, the magnitude of the companion animal overpopulation crisis is staggering. While animals suffer because of a shortage of responsible homes, humane agencies play an endless game of catch-up trying to stay afloat amid the ever-increasing population of needy animals. According to news sources, private animal shelters and municipal pounds in Rhode Island were forced to euthanize about 1,600 strays in 2004—a fraction of the annual national estimate of 3 to 4 million. Many of these animals were healthy and socialized and had to be euthanized simply because there aren’t enough loving families to adopt them.

When citizens and legislators realized that thousands of taxpayer dollars were spent dealing with problems created by the failure to spay and neuter, the state of Rhode Island took action. In a far-reaching effort to reduce cruelty cases and cat homelessness, the state has made it a legal requirement for cat caretakers who have not purchased a permit to spay or neuter their feline companions!

The law requires guardians to spay or neuter all cats over the age of 6 months unless they pay a hefty price to obtain a breeder’s permit for an intact animal. Lawbreakers will be fined $75 for each month that they do not comply, and these fees will be collected through Rhode Island’s spay-neuter fund. Subsidies will be available for those who cannot afford to alter their animals.

Help Animals in Your Community

You can help to ensure that spay-neuter legislation is passed in your own community! Mandatory sterilization, license differentials, spay-neuter tax credits, and breeding restrictions save lives and money. Community outreach and legislative initiatives are vital to helping animals, and they will not happen without your help.

Lobby for legislation that will benefit animals and humans in your community. View an example of model spay-neuter legislation. For more information, please refer to “PETA’s Guide to Becoming an Activist” and PETA’s “Lobbying: Laying Down the Law” factsheet. You can find contact information for your city and county legislators by visiting your city’s and county’s Web sites, respectively.

Snip cruelty in the bud: You can improve the lives of dogs and cats suffering from cruelty and neglect by donating to PETA’s SNIP (Spay and Neuter Immediately, Please) program.

You can improve the lives of dogs and cats suffering from cruelty and neglect.

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