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Question: Regarding feral cats (808ne.ws/327 kline), I have more around my property too. I see the wisdom of getting them fixed even though they would return to my property, because at least they will stop breeding. But would I have to be listed on the microchip?
Answer: No, whoever brings the free-roaming cats in for spay/neutering would handle the microchip registration that is part of the process; it doesn’t have to be the property owner, said Steph Kendrick, director of community engagement for the Hawaiian Humane Society. As we’ve reported before, nonprofit groups such as CatFriends help residential or commercial property owners trap and transport feral cats for spay/neutering.
To be clear, after sterilization, feral cats are returned to the location where they were found. The location also is included in the microchip identification.
“Good Samaritans bringing in cats are asked to give their name and contact information for the microchip registration. This is to make sure the cats are returned to the caregivers if they are trapped and brought in again, or to the area where they were living if the caregivers cannot be reached. Sadly, outdoor cats are often trapped by bad actors and illegally dumped far from their homes. The chip registration can get them back to where they belong,” she said.
There’s a free, mass sterilization clinic this week at Aloha Stadium, solely for free-roaming cats. It’s being conducted by Good Fix, a program of Greater Good Charities, in partnership with the Hawaiian Humane Society, CatFriends and other Oahu nonprofit groups.
Service is by appointment only. See hicat friends.org for details (click on spay/neuter clinics).
The Hawaiian Humane Society said in a news release Friday that it needs volunteers for the event, especially to work Tuesday. To sign up, go to 808ne.ws/gfvol.
Q: My husband has a car parked in the driveway that “he’s working on.” It’s a neighborhood eyesore, and personally I find it embarrassing. I read about the free junking and told him about it, but he says he can’t do it because he hasn’t paid the registration in years and he would have to catch up with all the fees for the city to take the car. Is that true?
A: No. “The vehicle’s registration does not have to be current to be eligible for the city’s free junking program,” said Harold Nedd, spokesman for Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services.
In giving up the vehicle, the owner acknowledges that it will never again be titled or registered, and that it is incapable of safe operation on a public highway and/or has no resale value except as scrap or parts.
To be towed away without charge by the city, the vehicle must be free of debris and rubbish, legally parked and easily accessible by a tow truck, including having at least two inflated tires.
For more information, go to honolulu.gov/csd and see “Junking a Vehicle.”
Auwe
Auwe to the stranger who opened the passenger door to the car I was sitting in in the mall parking lot. Our driver went out of the car to ask the young man what he was doing, but he didn’t answer. My daughter kept on yelling at him, which spooked him, and he left. I wanted to inform others to be aware and lock the doors right away. The door normally locks itself once the car is started. — J.C.
Mahalo
Upon realizing I had lost my debit card, I immediately alerted my bank. Remembering that my last usage was at Times Beretania, I also called there and was informed that someone had found it in a shopping cart and turned it in. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the good Samaritan who found it. May the bounties in your life bring you the joys your thoughtfulness has brought me. — M.B.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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