Ripon is requiring those that want to feed feral cats on city property to get written approval from a municipal animal control officer or face fines up to $200.

It is part or the wording of an ordinance adopted by a unanimous City Council vote Tuesday.

How the city is going about addressing the growing feral cat population at Stouffer Park isn’t sitting too well with some including several that vowed during public comments to pursue a voter referendum to overturn the ordinance if the council went ahead and adopted it, which they did.

In order to place a measure overriding the ordinance on a ballot in a general law city such as Ripon, it would require petitions with the valid signatures of 10 percent of the registered voters residing within the city limits.

During public comments people speaking out against the proposed ordinance accused the council of:

*abusing the federal cats by regulating who could feed them by assuming the city won’t allow anyone to do so following specific rules established by the city and would therefore be starving them.

*turning their backs on the feral cats given “they are part of the community.”

*blaming feral cats and those that feed them for litter and debris related issued that they contend are being caused by people.

*acting against tenets of Christianity.

*setting the stage where families using the park with their children would be coming across starving feral cats.

Several Ripon residents specifically asked for the city to provide guidelines about what they would require people seeking the city’s written permission to feed feral cats to adhere to before the city starts enforcing the ordinance.

There was concern that those feeding feral cats with the intent of trapping them, having them fixed, and then returning them to where they were trapped such as at Stouffer Park could be subject to fines up to $1,000 for “abandoning” the cats.

Councilman Daniel de Graaf noted that he “lives very close to Stouffer Park” and that he routinely sees “cat food spread across park benches and elsewhere.”

Mayor Gary Barton noted the city was flooded with nearly 1,000 emails protesting the feral cat policy. He estimated not more than 1 percent of them were sent by City of Ripon residents.

“Our duty is to the citizens of Ripon to do our best to keep and maintain a safe and healthy community for the people who live here,” Barton said.

The ordinance imposes fines of $100 on the second offense and $200 on subsequent offenses after a warning is given to those caught feeding feral cats without written city permission.

The ordinance also includes a provision making it unlawful for anyone to abandon an animal enforceable with a fine of up to $1,000 for each violation.

It is not usual for nonprofits or individuals to employ the feeding of feral cats to capture and then have cats spayed or neutered and then returning them to where they were caught.

That is typically done through an organized feeding program using traps.

The ordinance does not prohibit City Animal Control staff from working with “qualified and vetted organizations” to implement animal-control measures that effectively prioritize the well-being of City residents, wildlife, and stray, abandoned, or feral animals located on City property.

The ordinance change addresses not only cats but the feeding of stray, wild, feral, unowned, or abandoned animal, or any animal running at large on any public property

In a memo to the council, staff notes that while the intent of individuals feeding the cats may be to provide care, the practice has contributed to additional community impacts, including:

*Public Health: The stray cats create a potential transmission of diseases and parasites and increases the exposure of park users, particularly children, to stray animals and animal waste.

*Animal Population: Uncontrolled reproduction can result in continued population growth, and feeding without a corresponding spay/neuter program does not address the underlying population issue.

*Public Facilities: Cats can damage or occupy public facilities and landscaping, while the accumulation of food can attract other animals and animal waste creates sanitation and maintenance concerns.

*Park Use: The concentration of cats and feeding activities affects the use and enjoyment of the park, and food left in public areas creates litter, odors, and other nuisance conditions.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com