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Springfield residents may soon have to pay up if their cats or dogs get pregnant. KSMU's Jennifer Moore reports.
In an attempt to control the pet population, City Councilwoman Mary Collette says she will ask Council to take a look at pet ordinances in St. Joseph, Missouri.
There, pet owners must pay 20 dollars for a breeders permit, or 100 dollars for a litter permit when their pets reproduce. St. Joseph animal control officials say the laws have significantly reduced the number of kittens and puppies ending up at the city pound.
Residents who don't get the permit when their pets get pregnant can be fined between 100 and 500 dollars.
Collette says the law would not apply to breeders, and it's an incentive for ordinary people to be what she calls "responsible pet owners" by having their cats and dogs spayed and neutered.
She adds that several groups will assist pet owners who can't afford to pay for the medical procedures. One of those organizations, she says, is SNAP--the Spay Neuter Assistance Program.
Collette says under the plan, the city would refund 50 dollars of the 100-dollar litter permit fee if the owners get the animal spayed after it gives birth.
For KSMU News, I'm Jennifer Moore.
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