Yonkers, NY is in a cat/kitten crisis.  Residents of Yonkers, NY are concerned and deeply affected by the the overwhelming number of abandoned, abused and neglected stray cats and kittens in our city. Mayor Mike Spano has been in office for four terms now and is fully aware of this issue yet, along with and the City Council, has consistently and purposely mismanaged this crisis for over a decade.  Instead, the Mayor remains more concerned with providing large tax breaks and commuter benefits to billion dolllar companies such as Lions Gate Studios.  There is not one clause in their contract that requires them to give back to the city they're reaping so many benefits from by contributing to a low cost spay/neuter and wellness clinic, and there should be.  

Animal lives matter.  Some residents’ TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return – humanely and compassionately trap cats and kittens and take them to be spayed/neutered and vaccinated), and do our best to find them homes.  We fund this care with our own money.  Some animals come up to you crying, begging for help.  They get abused, kicked and beaten, sometimes while giving birth.  The Mayor’s refusal to effectively and compassionately address this issue continues to exacerbate the suffering.  It only takes two unspayed/unneutered cats/kittens for those two to become one hundred or more by the end of the year due to the number of babies females can have.  They freeze in the winter, suffer in the summer heat and struggle to find food, water and a kind hand all year long.  The Residents of Yonkers are lobbying for the following to be implemented:

1.     A low cost spay/neuter veterinary clinic and TNR Program/Team;

2.     A Yonkers Humane Law Enforcement;  

3.     Harsher punishments for animal abusers equal to that of abusing a child;

4.     An educational outreach program on the importance of Spay/Neuter; and

5.     A citywide ban on all animal breeding; 

People are disheartened at seeing suffering, sick and dead animals when they walk out their door.  The Toby Project, which is sporadically contracted, isn’t enough and can be unreliable, and the Yonkers Animal Shelter, which is consistently full is being constricted by Steve Sansone of the Parks Dept. that runs the shelter.  The shelter actually has a medical room which could be used intermittently for low cost spay/neuter while a low cost spay/neuter clinic is implemented.  It is criminal that this not being done.  In addition, in order for the animals at the Shelter to be physically and emotionally healthy for adoption, they need to be in a common room during the day in their natural state: playful and healing from whatever wounds they've had to endure.

We need leaders that care about our animal life to publicly stand against animal cruelty and lead this city with unity and compassion not greed and indifference.  If Spano and the City Council refuse to stand against animal cruelty, then they have no place in politics.  Remember, people hold the power in our vote.  Lastly, rather than putting Lions Gate before Yonkers Residents, Spano and the City Council need to implement a tax on Lions Gate, one that covers our low cost spay/neuter clinic and put Yonkers residents first. Lions Gate needs to give back to our community big time by implementing the above.  They are currently reaping benefits that even Yonkers residents don't get.  Enough is enough!