VCC Summer-Fall 2021

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S ummer /F all 2021 26 A ssociations AARPVirginia –804.344.3063 Natalie Snider, State Advocacy Director Alliance for Construction Excellence (ACE) J. T. Thomas, Chairman , 703.658.4383 Fraternal Order of Police, VA State Lodge John Ohrnberger, johrnb@aol.com Speech-Language-HearingAssociation ofVirginia (SHAV) Amy Barnett, President • www.shav.org Virginia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy https://vamft.wordpress.com/ Virginia Association of Realtors Terri Suit, CEO , o) 804.249.5702 c) 804.381.1222 Martin Johnson, Senior VP of Gov. Relations , c) 804.514.9830 Anthony Reedy, VP of Political Operations , 804.249.5719 Mary Lawson, Vice-President of Legislative Affairs , 540.230.6310 Erin Barton, Deputy Legislative Counsel , 804.249.5033 Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association Ray LaMura, President , 804.780.1776 Virginia Coalition of Police and Deputy Sheriffs Chip Condon, President , 1.800.913.2727 Virginia Education Association –804.648.5801 Dr. James J. Fedderman, President Virginia Fire Chiefs Association Keith H. Johnson, President , 703.777.0435 Keith.Johnson@loudoun.gov Virginia Professional Fire Fighters Robert Bragg, President , 434.882.8238 Virginia School Counselor Association Lauren Kershner, Chair Amy Gleason Carroll, Assistant Chair Virginia State Firefighters Association Ken Brown, President , 804.971.7983 Voter Registrars Association of Virginia Brenda Cabrera, President , 703.385.7891 E ateries Rueger’s Restaurant & Bar 901 Bank Street, Richmond • 804.343.7300 (Inside The Commonwealth) S ervices Gus’s Shoe Repair 528 East Main Street, Richmond • 804.782.6959 www.shoerepairrichmond.com H otels Berkeley Hotel (Per diem rates offered, restrictions apply) 804.780.1300 • 1200 East Cary Street, Richmond The Commonwealth (Per diem rates offered, restrictions apply) 804.343.7300 • 901 Bank Street, Richmond Adjacent to General Assembly Delta Hotels by Marriott Richmond Downtown (Special Session rates available) 804.788.0900 • 555 East Canal Street, Richmond Linden Row Inn (Special Session rates available) 804.225.5841 • 100 East Franklin Street, Richmond SPECIAL TO VIRGINIA CAPITOL CONNECTIONS Protecting Virginia’s Cats By BECKY ROBINSON In Virginia, we love our cats. Cats are among the most beloved animals we welcome into our homes. Many of them also live outside, and these community cats can enjoy healthy, fulfilling lives in their outdoor homes. It’s perfectly normal for cats to live outside. In fact, the concept of cats living exclusively indoors come into practice only a few decades ago. It’s just as natural for cats to live outside now as it has been for thousands of years before. A scientific, evidence-based plan is critical in developing any public policy for community cats. Proven science demonstrates that the approach to community cats can be both humane and nonlethal while also being very effective. Many communities throughout Virginia have already successfully met their cat management objectives through lifesaving policies including high-volume spay and neuter, and Trap-Neuter- Return (TNR), in which cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, eartipped for identification, and returned to their outdoor homes. TNR contributes to public health. TNR, along with humane education, reduces calls to animal control and reduces the number of cats that shelters take in and kill. This all translates to a tremendous savings of taxpayer money. TNR effectively and humanely addresses community cat populations. Scientific studies show that TNR ends the breeding cycle, meaning no new kittens are born outdoors, while improving the lives of community cats and their relationships with people who live near them. TNR is practiced by good Samaritans who give their own time and often their own money to help cats and the communities where they live. Programs are already well established in every setting throughout the Commonwealth, from the eastern shores to the mountains in the west, in dense urban cities and open rural areas. Why are humane practices like TNR so popular? It’s easy to understand within the context of how our society values the compassionate treatment of cats who live outside. In a recent poll, 84 percent of Americans said they prefer that their community use tax dollars to adopt sterilization as its cat control policy instead of bringing cats found outdoors into shelters, where many are likely to be euthanized, i.e., killed. Indeed, Virginia has made great progress, moving from a state that killed terrifying numbers of animals entering its shelters to a place where today just over 80 percent of cats entering shelters here are saved. But we can and must do better. When it comes to managing populations of community cats, the only acceptable approach for Virginia is to rely on scientifically proven methods that reflect the compassionate demands of the people in our great Commonwealth. State law already provides localities with five dispositions of cats in their custody. Lawmakers must add the disposition of returning cats to their outdoor homes. This is a critical and necessary step for the successful management of community cats, which is a nationally recognized best practice. Becky Robinson is the president and founder of Alley Cat Allies, the global engine of change to protect cats and kittens. She lives in Northern Virginia. V