Last week the Virginia Supreme Court dropped a citation against a feral cat caregiver in Henrico County, Va., who was cited under the county’s zoning code for feeding cats on her own property. The Court ruled that the citation was overly broad. This is great news for Susan Mills, the caregiver, who no longer has a citation against her for acting as a Good Samaritan.
Unfortunately, the Court did not address the underlying issue of whether it is inappropriate for a county to ban the feeding of cats under zoning laws. Zoning laws are meant to regulate issues like where factories and houses can be built, not the feeding of feral cats. If issues relating to animals must be addressed, they should be addressed by the democratically elected Board of Supervisors. A decision on whether it is wrong to ban feeding of feral cats under zoning laws will be made another day.
Alley Cat Allies will stay engaged with this case. In 2012, Alley Cat Allies President Becky Robinson testified in the Circuit Court as an expert witness on feral cats. If this case does continue, we stand ready to offer assistance again.
Alley Cat Allies would like to thank the Richmond SPCA, which has supported Susan Mills from day one, and William Shewmake and Jack Robb, two attorneys who have taken on this case pro bono. Shewmake and Robb have spent innumerable hours preparing and arguing the caseall for no chargeand have skillfully represented Susan Mills all the way from the Henrico Circuit Court to the Virginia Supreme Court.