Should Cats Be On Leashes?

Concord, Mass., resident Lydia Lodynsky says that neighborhood cats destroyed her backyard bird sanctuary, despite a 6-foot fence, and she wants to do something about it.

After approaching her neighbors and receiving no response, she's now proposing several Citizen's petitions at a town meeting scheduled for Monday night.

The petitions call for an Animal Control officer to be hired, require that cats be licensed, vaccinated and regulated, and urge that the Town Manager and Board of Selectmen establish principles and guidelines for "Responsible Pet Ownership."

While many towns require that cats be licensed or spayed and neutered, Lydia wants Concord to join the few American jurisdictions that have laws that regulate cat's wanderings. Lydia told Here & Now's Robin Young that she saw a drop in the bluebird population in her yard from six males and females down to one male, after a cat got the last females.

"It was the saddest thing because for three weeks we had to listen him with the mating calls searching because there were no more females left in the area," she said.