City of Fargo to study cat proposal

FARGO (AP) — City staff in Fargo are studying a proposal from an animal welfare group to have the city help pay for vaccinating feral cats and testing them for feline leukemia.

Minn-Kota PAAWS wants the city to chip in $20 for each animal.

PAAWS stands for People Advocating Animal Welfare Services. Clinic manager Carol Sawicki said there are as many as 500 feral cats living around Fargo’s five mobile home parks and in its industrial areas. She says feral cats present health hazards for people who are bitten.

Under the proposal, PAAWS would pay the cost of spaying or neutering any cats that were trapped as part of the program. Sawicki said it might be possible to catch up to 300 cats per year, which would cut down on the number of animals in the wild and the number of cats euthanized.

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