Tuesday 28 March 2023 | 27

One Voice is asking for a decree from the Songeons town council to ban feeding stray cats to be repealed.

One Voice is asking for a decree from the Songeons town council to ban feeding stray cats to be repealed.

Mis à jour le 24 May 2023

One Voice has been warned by various animal advocates of the fact that the Songeons Town Council has decided to ban feeding stray cats in its area. We have written to the Songeons mayor to express our indignation and to remind him of his responsibilities when it comes to stray animals in his town’s area.
In fact, the municipal decree n° 2023_A016 of 15 March 2023 threatened anyone who risked it with a fine of 38 euros. Posts on the town’s website and Facebook page have since been taken down.

Hr blog

Updated 30 March at 11:55am

Following rallies from animal advocates and One Voice’s letter, the Songeons mayor realised his error and revoked the municipal decree banning feeding cats. We thank him and encourage him profusely to run a neutering campaign in his town’s area. Once again, we are asking for an urgent national plan to put an end to feline straying and the suffering that it causes.

A ban on feeding stray cats or be subject to a fine: this is how the Songeons town council manages straying situations in their area, instead of taking responsibility by restarting neutering campaigns. As reported by the media, the town council justifies this ban with “a fresh outbreak of rambling cats” and the “need and desire to keep the town in a good state of cleanliness and hygiene”.

As a reminder, mayors are responsible for animals roaming in their town’s area. Regarding cats, before even thinking about capturing them to put them into pounds, legislation requires neutering campaigns before they are released (annexe II, section 2, chapter V of the decree of 3 April 2014 setting health and animal protection guidelines). This is the only ethical way to sustainably manage a population of stray cats. Banning feeding them will in no way stem their reproduction and even risks creating problems that were not present before the ban: famished, the cats will turn to bins and small wildlife.

With posts on the town’s website and Facebook page having been taken down by 28 March, we therefore asked the mayor to confirm that these deletions constitute a repeal of the decree and not a deceptive attempt to conceal the truth while the decree is still in force.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Lola Rebollo
Hr blog
Share on

In the subject

Illegal animal adverts online: One Voice is filing a complaint against Leboncoin
Feline straying: one year later than the set deadline and still no government report in sight

Comments 27

I accept that publication of my comments is subject to the code of conduct.

To learn more about the processing of your personal data see the details on this page.

Isaline | Saturday 08 April 2023

Je trouve cela honteux d'interdire le nourrissage sur les sites! Ces pauvres chats n'ont que cela ! C'est cruel car ces chats souffrent déjà du froid, de la peur et j'en passe. Ce serait bien plus intelligent de construire des abris et les stériliser.
Un peu de cœur ne ferait pas de mal!
J'ai moi même sauvé un chat errant, j'ai tendu la patte à un être vivant en souffrance.
Si tout le monde y mettait un peu de bonne volonté il y aurait bien moins de malheureux.

Isa | Wednesday 05 April 2023

Je pense que le Maire de Songeons devrait tout simplement laisser sa place à une personne plus compétante que lui. S'il ne supporte pas les animaux c'est qu'il ne doit pas supporter grand chose. De quel droit on empêche des personnes de nourrir des animaux en détresses. Voilà bien le reflet de notre pauvre France. Heureusement qu'il y'a des personnes pour aider ces pauvres animaux qui n'ont rien demandé... Bravo à eux

Irene | Tuesday 04 April 2023

Order the extermination of innocent stray cats to condemn them to suffer unnecessary and agonizing deaths is unacceptable, mainly when the majority of human beings support humanitarian treatment for them, not their slaughter. Fortunately, that perverse municipal decree has been repealed but there is still much that needs to be done for abandoned cats: massive sterilizations, adequate shelters where veterinary care is provided, and through which cats are placed for adoption. Fortunately, that structure has existed in my country for a long time and the same could be expected of France.

Stéphane | Saturday 01 April 2023

C'est scandaleux !
J'ai écrit au maire de Songeons pour lui demander de mettre en place une campagne de stérilisation et d'identification des chats errants, plutôt que de sanctionner les nourrisseurs de chats errants.

Sur le même sujet, je suis récemment tombé sur cet article, à propos des nourrisseurs de chats errants à Périgueux :

"La ville de Périgueux a décidé de leur donner un statut officiel, en leur fournissant une carte de nourrisseurs et nourrisseurs de la ville de Périgueux. L'objectif est de reconnaître "cette activité d'intérêt public", indique la ville. Et la raison est simple." ........
"Et justement, désormais la quinzaine de nourrisseurs pourra montrer cette carte au public pour prouver que leur activité est juste, et qu'ils sont soutenus par la mairie."

Il y a de l'espoir :))