The Albany County Legislature and Mohawk Hudson Humane Society are celebrating the passage of a new law that helps cats find new homes faster.
Unanimously adopted by the County Legislature, Lulu’s Law reduces the time stray cats are held in shelters from five days of three if an owner can’t be found, so they can be made available for adoption sooner.
The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in Menands says in 2021 it saw 1,455 cats adopted. According to the New York State Animal Protection Federation, 69 percent of all cats that come into a shelter are either stray cats or have been surrendered by their owner. Of these, 93 percent are adopted.
To mark the passage of Lulu’s Law, MHHS announced Tuesday it is offering microchipping to all cats and dogs for $25 for the rest of June.
Any member of the community qualifies for the offer and can make an appointment on MHHS’ website, https://mohawkhumane.org/veterinary-services.
Albany County issued a press release which says in part “In 2018, the NYS Animal Protection Federation advocated for a bill that would give local municipalities the ability to cut the hold time for cats from five to three days,” said Libby Post, Executive Director of the NYS Animal Protection Federation. “48 hours might not seem to make that big of a difference but when the average cost to care for a homeless companion animal is at least $15/day and you add up all the care days, it can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars for individual shelters. When Mohawk Hudson Humane Society reached out to us about getting a bill passed locally my first stop was known animal lover, Chair of the Albany County Legislature Andrew Joyce. He took up the mantle, named the bill for his cat that was adopted from Mohawk Hudson and the bill passed unanimously. When it comes to dogs and cats, there are no party lines — just compassion to do the right thing.”
