LEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Lee County Domestic Animal Shelter has changed its policy on holding stray cats following the death of a pet cat named Kevin.
The shelter announced Tuesday it will now hold stray cats for 24 hours before it euthanizes them. Previously, the shelter had a zero-day hold policy for unidentifiable stray cats.
Angela Tardiff lost her cat Kevin when he escaped from her North Fort Myers home on May 15. A neighbor found him and took him to the county shelter, believing he was a stray.
"[He was] loved so much, that you'd do anything for," Tardiff said.
Because Kevin wasn't microchipped, shelter records show he was euthanized within 1 hour and 54 minutes of his intake.
After Kevin's death made the news, county commissioners asked the shelter to review its stray hold policy, leading to the new 24-hour hold requirement.
Watch Lee County Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report below:
Tardiff believes the change doesn't go far enough.
"I think this was just like slapping a Band-Aid on an issue right now," Tardiff said.
She explained that even a 24-hour hold wouldn't have saved Kevin, because she called the shelter the same day he was dropped off.
"I called six to seven hours after he arrived, and I was told he was not there, so I called the next day and was told he was not there, so I actually went in person because I didn't believe them," Tardiff said.
The county says the shelter is already implementing the new policy, with the 24-hour period beginning at the time of intake when photos are posted online.
County Commissioner Brian Hamman supports the policy change.
"I think that's a great move," Hamman said.
He also emphasized the importance of pet identification.
"We teach our children their phone number and their address at a very young age so that they can find their way back home if they ever get lost. Animals can't communicate like that, so we need to microchip animals," Hamman said.
Find more information on the county's microchipping services here.
Tardiff wants the county to be more transparent about what happens to unidentifiable pets.
"Twenty-four hour period is still not enough to me, and yeah I'm just gonna keep fighting until we get change that feels right, you know everyone feels right about because this doesn't feel right," Tardiff said.
County commissioners will vote at their next meeting on June 17th for a public hearing on the ordinance change, which will take place in August. After the hearing, commissioners will vote on the update.
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