Dr. Laureen Pottynski is a veterinarian from Middletown Township, Delaware County, PA who, for the past 15 years, has cared for a group of feral cats who live near her property. The cats were there when she moved in and she has taken it upon herself to make sure the cats are fed, get them spayed, neutered and vaccinated at her own expense, and adopt out the ones who are suitable as indoor pets. She has spent thousands of dollars of her own money and countless hours of her time trying to deal with a situation she did not create. But, instead of being thanked by Middletown Township for saving them the cost of caring for the cats, she is being charged criminally for “owning nuisance cats,” under a local ordinance that defines the owner of an animal as someone “who allows an animal to remain on his or her premises.”
Every animal welfare organization in the country, including the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the US, recognizes “trap, neuter, release” (TNR) as the only proven humane and effective method to manage feral cat colonies. The Chester County SPCA recently received a $300,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to TNR cats in Chester and Delaware Counties – exactly what Dr. Pottynski has been doing for more than 15 years on her own. People who care for stray animals are not criminals!
Tell the Middletown Township Council to stop this senseless prosecution and waste of taxpayer money and to drop the case against Dr. Pottynski.