Albany County Legislature introduces local law promoting feline adoption | County News - Albany County
“Lulu’s Law” reduces time cats need to be held before adoption
The Albany County Legislature is looking to opt in to a state law that would allow cats, who are not claimed by an owner, to be placed for adoption quicker.
The legislation introduced Monday, titled “Lulu’s Law,” would reduce the time a shelter is required to retain a cat from five days to three days if an owner cannot be identified by collar, tag, microchip, tattoo or other identifying mark. The cat can be placed for adoption or transferred to a rescue organization such as a humane society or shelter under contract or maintained by a municipality in Albany County.
“My family believes that all orphaned pets deserve a loving home. That’s why we adopted our cat Lulu from the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society when she was just a kitten many years ago,” said Chairman Andrew Joyce, who sponsored the local law. “Too many animals, especially kittens like Lulu, end up in shelters. This local law will cut down the time they spend in shelters and speed up the process to get eligible kittens and cats to be taken home. Our goal is to reduce the amount of animals that are sheltered each year.”
The Legislature hopes to address the large populations of cats that currently reside in shelters, enhancing their quality of life while decreasing costs associated with sheltering animals.
According to the New York State Animal Protection Federation, 69 percent of all cats that come into a shelter are either owner surrender or stray cats. Of these, 93 percent are adopted.
In 2021, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, in Menands, saw 1,455 cats adopted.
“Lulu’s Law makes it possible for stray cats to find their forever homes more quickly by decreasing the number of days a stray cat must be held before it becomes available for adoption. Only 4% of stray cats brought to shelters in New York are redeemed by their owner, and longer stray holds have not had an impact on redemption rates. We thank Chairman Joyce for his advocacy for animals. We look forward to this becoming a law and hope that other counties will follow with similar legislation,” said Ashley Jeffrey Bouck, CEO Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
The legislation is being referred to the Law Committee for further review.
source: https://www.albanycounty.com/Home/Components/News/News/1908/59
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