The City of Peachtree Corners is considering restrictions on feeding wildlife, including as part of its efforts to address concerns about the local deer population.

As Peachtree Corners residents and members of the surrounding community, we are asking City Council not to move forward with a wildlife-feeding ban.

Peachtree Corners already has a Deer Management Plan in place and is working with USDA Wildlife Services on deer population management. We believe the City should allow that program to work rather than adding another ordinance that could create unintended consequences for residents—including people who care for our community cats.

To be clear: Peachtree Corners is not proposing a ban on feeding cats.
Our concern is about what could happen if an ordinance prohibits feeding wildlife such as raccoons and opossums without clearly addressing situations involving community cats.

Community-cat caregivers routinely place food outside for stray and feral cats. Those caregivers cannot always control whether a raccoon, opossum, or other wild animal also accesses food that was intentionally placed for cats.

That creates an important question: Could someone who is responsibly feeding and managing a community-cat colony face enforcement because wildlife also eats the food?

We believe that question needs to be answered before any ordinance moves forward.

This is especially important because community-cat caregivers are often doing far more than simply putting out food. Many monitor colonies, identify new cats and kittens, trap cats for spay/neuter and vaccination, coordinate veterinary care, and pay for these efforts themselves.

Wildlife being attracted to feeding stations can already create conflicts between caregivers, property owners, and apartment management. A new city ordinance should not unintentionally create another barrier for residents who are trying to responsibly manage community-cat colonies.

What we're asking Peachtree Corners City Council to do

1. Do not move forward with the proposed wildlife-feeding restrictions.
Peachtree Corners already has a Deer Management Plan and is working with USDA Wildlife Services on deer population reduction. We believe the City should allow those efforts to work rather than adopting an additional feeding ordinance that could have unintended consequences for residents and community-cat caregivers.

2. If the City does move forward with a wildlife-feeding ordinance, explicitly protect community-cat caregivers and TNVR activities.

Any ordinance should make clear that residents responsibly feeding community cats or participating in Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) will not be penalized simply because raccoons, opossums, or other wildlife access food intended for cats.

Clear language matters. Community-cat caregivers should not have to guess whether caring for a colony could put them in violation of a wildlife ordinance.

3. Invest in a citywide community-cat management strategy.

Peachtree Corners has an opportunity to address community-cat populations at the source by supporting TNVR and expanding access to affordable spay/neuter and rabies vaccination.

TNVR is an evidence-based population-management strategy that can reduce community-cat populations over time when implemented effectively and at sufficient scale. Supporting the residents who are already trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, and monitoring these cats can help prevent new litters and improve management of existing colonies.

Our first request is simple: do not move forward with the wildlife-feeding ban.

But if City Council decides to proceed with an ordinance, responsible community-cat feeding and TNVR activities should be explicitly protected.

Peachtree Corners can address concerns about wildlife without creating unintended consequences for the residents who are working every day to care for and manage our community cats.

Sign this petition to ask Peachtree Corners City Council to reconsider the wildlife-feeding ban, protect community-cat caregivers, and invest in TNVR.