Feline lovers in Kenya\u2019s capital have been twitching over the threat of what is perceived as a \u201ccat tax\u201d \u2013 and any talk of tax in the East African nation raises the hackles.<\/p>\n
The proposal comes via the Nairobi City County which wants all cats to be registered by their owners \u2013 which some are moaning is a \u201ccat-astrophe\u201d.<\/p>\n
It would require cat owners in Nairobi to purchase an annual licence \u2013 costing 200 Kenyan shillings ($1.50; \u00a31.20) along with proof that the animal has had a rabies vaccination.<\/p>\n
Not only that, but \u201cpurrents\u201d \u2013 as cat owners are known \u2013 would need to take responsibility for their furry friend\u2019s behaviour, and we all know that a cat does not take direction well.<\/p>\n
According to the city\u2019s\u00a0Animal Control and Welfare Bill, they would have to ensure their pets do not \u201cscream or cry in a manner that disturbs the peace\u201d of residents.<\/p>\n
They would also be required to confine cats on heat.<\/p>\n
The proposed legislation is aimed at improving cat welfare, but some jaundiced city residents need convincing.<\/p>\n
Kenyans recently forced the government\u00a0to withdraw a finance bill introducing a raft of contentious taxes\u00a0\u2013 and this plan by Nairobi county is seen by some as part of the government\u2019s appetite for raising more revenue.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst taxes on period products, now taxing cat owners. Leave my pussy alone!\u201d\u00a0Khadijah M Farah said on X, referencing the now-dropped finance bill.<\/p>\n
Some Kenyans are also raising questions about how enforceable it is, given the high population of stray or feral cats.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s feline population \u2013 lions in the Nairobi National Park excluded \u2013 is not known, but they are ubiquitous: prowling on streets, lounging in shops, and foraging at rubbish tips and restaurants.<\/p>\n
Yowling from various cats in different registers can often punctuate the hush of night, especially during mating season.<\/p>\n
Naomi Mutua, who with more than a dozen cats calls herself Nairobi\u2019s \u201cmother of cats\u201d, told the BBC the county authorities should have checked with cat owners, rescue organisations and veterinary groups before coming up with the draft law.<\/p>\n
She runs a Facebook group of about 25,000 cat lovers and says the introduction of mandatory rabies vaccinations is a good thing but queries how it will be achieved in reality.<\/p>\n
About 2,000 Kenyans die every year from rabies caused by dog or cat bites, according to the health ministry.<\/p>\n
And Ms Mutua says the first premise of any new law should start with improving \u201cstandards of care that are lacking\u201d.<\/p>\n
She wonders whether confining a cat on heat would be \u201crestricting them from their natural behaviour\u201d.<\/p>\n
A public consultation is being organised by the county \u2013 to begin this Friday.<\/p>\n
City residents will be able to give their views about the bill \u2013 which may inform further amendments to be considered by the county assembly.<\/p>\n
For the head of the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA), Emma Ngugi, the draft legislation is a welcome move given that animal welfare in the city is a \u201chuge problem\u201d.<\/p>\n
But licences, she feels, are probably not the answer as people may not want to claim ownership of cats.<\/p>\n
Some people may end up throwing out their cats if they are forced to pay for them, which would defeat the purpose of the bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you introduce what is essentially a tax on cats, then it\u2019s going to be even harder for organisations like us working in communities to get people to take responsibility,\u201d she told the BBC.<\/p>\n
Ms Ngugi also points out that there is already legislation on dog ownership that is ignored as most people do not bother to get licences for them \u2013 even those who can afford to do so.<\/p>\n
Under the proposed bill, cat owners who fail to comply with the licensing and welfare standards would be guilty of an offence and liable to penalties including jail terms.<\/p>\n
Yet many people are scoffing at the idea of anyone checking up.<\/p>\n
\u201cNairobi cats are restless. You cannot own Nairobi cats,\u201d a panelist said on a youth TV show over the weekend.<\/p>\n
But the KSPCA director says \u201cthe overpopulation of cats\u201d is a big issue, with rabid ones posing a risk to human health and the environment.<\/p>\n
She would prefer low-cost veterinary services to be introduced for those who can pay and mass sterilisation campaigns for stray cats and dogs \u2013 as the cost of sterilising a cat, for instance, can be the equivalent of a month\u2019s wages for some Kenyans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a proven methodology from all over the world, and it works,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
In the meantime the bill has got many talking excitedly on the subject, even prompting one Nairobi resident to poetry.<\/p>\n
In his \u201code to cats in Kenya\u201d on X, Innocent Ouko ends his verse with the words: \u201cSeems like we\u2019re in a cat-ch 22 situation.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Feline lovers in Kenya\u2019s capital have been twitching over the threat of what is perceived as a \u201ccat tax\u201d \u2013 and any talk of tax in the East African nation raises the hackles. The proposal comes via the Nairobi City County which wants all cats to be registered by their owners \u2013 which some are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73294\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}