.jpg)
Would you consider this guy a second
class citizen?
Even though there are more cats than dogs living in American homes, their popularity and status sometimes suffers next to that of an adorable puppy or strong guard dog. Some might even call them the second class citizens of the pet world.
So, in an effort to raise their status the CATalyst Council ran a contest in the largest 25 metropolitan cities to find the Best Cat-Friendly City in America. They awarded the honor to Tampa, Fl. in a ceremony at the American Animal Hospital Association.
The CATalyst Council is a coalition of the veterinary community, academia, nonprofits, industry and animal welfare organizations and they hope to call attention to how much the cat is loved and cared for in the Top 10 cities. They also hope other cities will want to follow in the footsteps of the Top 10.
The other winning cities (in order) were: Phoenix, San Francisco, Portland (Ore.), Denver, Boston, Seattle, San Diego, Atlanta and Minneapolis. An honorable mention award was also given to Ithaca, NY because of cat education.
Although the CATalyst Council is serious about cats, their contest was somewhat light-hearted. They based their criteria for the contest on the following: cities that had the largest cat population, the percentage of felines that have been micro-chipped, the number of veterinarians that are members of the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the number of subscriptions to a popular cat magazine. Extra points were given to cities with cat-friendly laws and if the city’s mayor owned a cat.
Journalist Steve Dale, a board member for the Council said, “Cats outnumber dogs by nearly 10 million among the pet-owning public. However, in my work as a journalist, I’ve spoken with animal control officials, welfare organizations and veterinarians across the country and often hear that cats are more likely to be neglected than dogs, more likely to wind up in shelters and less likely to be seen by veterinarians.”
The CATalyst Council ran the contest as an education effort. They are trying to reach the public, the healthcare community and the animal shelter world to be sure cats will be protected and receive the proper care and attention they deserve.
Comments