The Audubon Societies 



409 



heart more of a cat-lover than a bird- 

 lover, is shocked when she reads in Bird- 

 Lore some account of the depredations 

 of cats upon birds, and cries out that we 

 should not say such things about cats. 

 One such person recently wrote to us a 

 strong protest against our "cruelty to 

 cats." She stated that she would like to 

 give support to the Audubon Society, 

 but felt that she must give her aid to 

 another well-known institution whose 

 avowed object is to prevent cruelty to 

 dumb animals. Possibly she may wonder 

 whether she has improved her connec- 

 tions when some day she chances to 

 examine the annual report of the Society 

 for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 

 and finds that, during the past year, this 

 Society put to death 174,925 cats in New 

 York City alone! 



Another kind-hearted and undoubtedly 

 most excellent person has just expressed 

 regret that we should do so inhumane an 

 act as to publish a picture of five dead 

 cats killed on the New York State Game 

 Farm; but it is noticeable that she 

 indicates no regret over the fact that 

 these five cats had killed and eaten $5,000 

 worth of young Pheasants which the state 

 was attempting to raise ! 



The trouble is that such people lose 

 sight of the fact that this Association was 

 incorporated for the protection of wild 

 birds and wild animals, and in carrying 

 out the objects of our organization it 

 seems as necessary to call attention to the 

 destructiveness of cats as it is to protest 

 against killing of birds by other unneces- 

 sary means, as for example by the plume- 

 hunters and the big slaughterers of game. 



Montclair Cat Ordinance 



.\n Ordinance to Prevent Vagrant or 

 Unidentified Cats from running at 

 large in the Streets or Public Places 

 of the Town of Montclair, in the 

 County of Essex [New Jersey], and 

 for the Impounding, Sale or Destruc- 

 tion of such cats. 



Be It Ordained by the Town Council 

 of the Town of Montclair in the County of 

 Essex, as Follows: 



Section i. No person being the owner 

 or harboring a cat shall permit it to run 

 at large in any of the streets or public 

 places of the Town of Montclair, in the 

 County of Essex, at any time, unless 

 identified as hereinafter provided. 



Section 2. Any cat shall be deemed to 

 be a vagrant or unidentified cat unless it 

 wears a collar or tag bearing either the 

 owner's name and address, or a registered 

 identification number. 



Section 3. Numbered identification tags 

 will be furnished by the Town Clerk at 

 cost. 



Section 4. Any vagrant or unidentified 

 cat running at large in any of the streets 

 or public places of the Town of Mont- 

 clair, in the County of Essex, shall be 

 taken and impounded by any dog-catcher 

 of said town (or other duly authorized 

 ofiicer), and shall be destroyed or sold 

 at any time not less than forty-eight 

 hours after it has been impounded, unless 

 the owner shall, before its destruction or 

 sale, satisfy the Town Clerk of his or her 

 ownership, and shall redeem the same by 

 the payment to the Town Clerk for the 

 use of said town of the sum of One dollar; 

 provided, however, that such redemption 

 and payment shall not release and dis- 

 charge the owner from the penalty here- 

 inafter provided for. 



Section 5. Any cat wearing a collar or 

 tag bearing either the owner's name and 

 address or a registered identification num- 

 ber, that may be captured by the dog- 

 catcher or other officer of the town in 

 the discharge of his duty, shall be released 

 or returned to the owner. The compensa- 

 tion of the dog-catcher shall be the sum of 

 one dollar for each cat lawfully seized and 

 impounded in the performance of his or 

 their duty. 



Section 6. Any person violating the 

 provisions of this ordinance shall, upon 

 conviction, pay a fine of not more than 

 five dollars for each and every offense. 



Adopted July 6th, 1915. 



Edwin Mortimer Harrison, 



Mayor. 

 Attest: Harry Trippett, 

 Town Clerk. 



