The age-old debate continues to rage between dogs and cats... I personally am a "cats rule, dogs drool" person. Hopefully, there is one issue that we can all agree upon as loving pet owners. Many Colorado cities such as Denver, Colorado Springs and Boulder all require that dogs have some form of identification (microchip or identification tag). The same does not hold for cats. HB 1019 is a bill that is trying to match the existing requirements for all cats over the age of 4 months. The bill stipulates that cats are either microchipped or wear an identification tag, outlaws individuals from removing cat identification tags and requires compliance by owner before an impounded cat can be released. It should also be noted that this bill only affects cats living within cities of a certain size.

To some, this may seem like a "no-brainer" or "dumb" bill.

Cats do not pose the same threat as dogs and a good deal of cats are solely indoor pets that have no need for identification tags. I ask that you reserve judgment until you have taken a ride over to your local shelter, Humane Society or Dumb Friends League.

The number of cats that are lost and never reclaimed, or irresponsibly abandoned that end up in the shelters are staggering. This bill would help reunite pets with their owners much more efficiently and increase the return-rate for animals. The bill also helps identify pets with owners versus feral cats that are not required to be tagged. Most importantly, this bill would increase the accountability of pet owners. Not only would it prevent people from "ditching" their cat, but it also helps future agencies that sell cats from identifying irresponsible cat owners.

The Denver Dumb Friends League and other Denver Metro Area Clinics are offering free microchipping for your cats. As an intern with New Era Colorado and a devoted cat owner, this is my "pet project" but I will keep you updated of progress.