You've digested the lists for top dog towns and cities that rank high for animal welfare concerns, but have you ever read one that tells you where you might rather live if you love cats?
CATalyst is a multi-group organization founded in response to the growing concern that while cats are pulling away from dogs as the most popular pets in the US, their veterinary visits are on the decline.
That’s scary for a whole top-ten list-worthy number of reasons, but mostly because it means individual cats are not getting the healthcare they need. It also means less research is headed in the feline direction. Depressing.
That’s why CATalyst is working on ways to raise the profile of cats in private and public life through a variety of measures. Ranking cities by their cat friendliness is one PR-worthy way to get this done. After all, everyone loves a list that trades on happy cat thoughts, right?
To that end, here’s the CATalyst ranking:
#1 Tampa
#2 Phoenix
#3 San Francisco
#4 Portland (Ore.)
#5 Denver
#6 Boston
#7 Seattle
#8 San Diego
#9 Atlanta
#10 Minneapolis
According to CATalyst, which is unveiling this list today at the American Animal Hospital Association conference in Phoenix,
“The list was compiled after reviewing the top 25 standard metropolitan areas for such data as cat ownership per capita, level of veterinary care, microchipping and cat-friendly local ordinances. The CATalyst Council hopes to include shelter data in the 2010 list.”
It’s always good news knowing our cities might actually attempt to raise their standards for cats through some healthy competition. God knows our cats could use some dedication, if not through all cat owners, then at least through the work of organizations and municipalities working together for their benefit.
PS: What is my thing with cats this week? I just noticed that four of my last seven posts are kitty-centric––and another I was planning for tomorrow includes a personal cat story. Interesting...
