Topless Focus Out Of Place
Editor:
It’s ridiculous that the Town of Ocean City has vowed to pursue the rare female topless sunbather with such legal vigor while ignoring more pressing issues, such as the year-round homeless problem on the Boardwalk.
The men camped out on the Boardwalk aggressively harass visitors, prevent anyone from using the public restrooms, and generally create an unpleasant beach experience. I’ve seen less public vagrancy in Atlantic City. Ocean City’s attitude toward these men has been to coddle them, encourage their behavior, and to disregard the tourists’ complaints.
These panhandlers, along with Ocean City’s increasingly visible drug dealers and gang bangers, pose a greater threat to visitors and the town’s “family-friendly” tagline than a few women’s breasts. My suggestion to the town council and mayor is to get your priorities in order. With hope women’s groups will swarm Ocean City’s beaches this summer to protest the sexist and backward policy.
Fred Salvino
Severn, Md.
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Community Cats Coalition Needs Help
Editor:
Animal control agencies have been trying to manage feral cat populations for decades with no success. The vicious cycle of catch-and-kill has done nothing to reduce the number of cats living outdoors and taxpayers continue to foot the hefty bill. Perpetually killing cats is a time-intensive affair, which places unnecessary stress on already limited shelter resources, and cats pay the ultimate price with their lives. Fortunately, there is a more effective and humane solution – Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). TNR programs have been shown to dramatically cut costs and time, freeing up valuable resources so more animals can be saved. With cats being the number one companion animal in America, the public no longer supports lethal management practices. Communities across the country and around the world are embracing TNR as the preferred method for controlling outdoor cats.
Community Cats Coalition (CCC) works to protect cats on several levels: locally through rescue, trap/neuter/return, rehabilitation & adoption of cats & nationally through a network of teams in Delaware and Virginia. Community Cats Coalition is dedicated to the health, well-being and welfare of all cats: domestic, stray, abandoned and feral.
Community Cats Coalition promotes compassion and humane care for cats through the following:
•We assist cat caretakers with cat behavioral problems. CCC promotes a better understanding of feline diseases, CCC promotes spay and neuter before adoption, CCC programs keep cats out of the shelter system, thus reducing euthanasia, CCC promotes early-age spay and neuter and promotes TNR programs for feral cats.
We also attack cat overpopulation at the source by sterilizing feral cats, thus preventing the birth of hundreds of homeless kittens. We rescue feral kittens, tame them and help them become loving companions. CCC provides information and guidelines on all aspects of feral cat care and control. CCC provides winter care tips and shelters.
CCC offers the “Wait ‘til 8” program. Kittens that weigh less than a pound are usually euthanized in shelters unless they have a 24-hour staff caring for them. As an alternative, CCC offers this program to help you care for the kittens at home in a safe, loving environment until they reach eight weeks of age. Kittens need to be with their moms until eight weeks of age, not only for their growth and development, but to continue to get the benefits of mom’s antibodies provided through her milk.
Once the kittens have reached 8 weeks and are deemed healthy, they will then enter our “Kitten Program” where they will be placed for adoption via our partnership with Westside Animal Rescue. Community cats need our help now more than ever, and with Community Cats Coalition, you will have the necessary tools to make a lasting difference in your neighborhood and the world. For more information: please call us @ 443-909-8047 or visit our website at www.communitycatscoalition.com
Susan Coleman, Director-Community
Cats Coalition, Ocean City, Md.