New Transfer Station Rule: Cats Must Starve and Die
The abandoned cats at the Kona Dump (Transfer Station) have been given a death sentence without mercy, without appeal, and without human compassion.
No Water – No Food – No Life: Effective immediately, cats can no longer receive food or water. They are going to die.
The Applicable Law: Here is the State of Hawaii statute that prohibits this:
§ 711-1109 Cruelty to animals in the second degree. A misdemeanor referrable to the District Attorney: (1) A person commits the offense of cruelty to animals in the second degree if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly: (a) Overdrives, overloads, tortures, torments, beats, causes substantial bodily injury to, or starves any animal, or causes the overdriving, overloading, torture, torment, beating, or starving of any animal.
In Summary: The decision to starve these cats is not just inhumane—it is illegal. This law exists to prevent the very suffering that these cats are now facing. You can call to voice your outrage or ask other concerned people to call. Even if people don’t like cats, they should hate injustice even more.
Speak Up – Voice Your Outrage: The cats can not speak for themselves, but you can. We must speak up and act against this grave injustice. Even if you are not a cat lover, you can be a champion of justice and compassion. The cats at the Kona Dump are not feral; they are abandoned, discarded pets who have been let down by the humans they once trusted. Now, the Solid Waste Division has decided that the solution to this problem is to let these cats die a slow, agonizing death from starvation and dehydration. This is not a solution. It is a death sentence.
CALL THE SOLID WASTE DIVISION: 808-961-8270
Here is Mayor Mitch Roth’s contact information:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
HIMayorMitch/ - Instagram: @himayormitch https://www.instagram.com/
himayormitch/ - Twitter: @himayormitch https://x.com/himayormitch
- Web Contact: https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/
our-county/mayor/comments-and- concern
West Hawaiʻi
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway
Bldg C
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Phone: (808) 323-4444
Fax: (808) 323-4440
TDD: (808) 327-6003
PLEASE COPY AND POST TO YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA SITES AND SHARE WITH FRIENDS.
West Hawaii Today
- Online Contact Form: https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/contact-us/
- David Bock – Editor – dbock@westhawaiitoday.com – (808) 930-7323
- Laura Ruminski – General Assignment Reporter lruminski@westhawaiitoday.com – (808) 930-8614
28 Years Of Trapping, Neutering, And Release: The trap, neuter, release (TNR) program has been in effect for 28 years at the Kona Transfer Station. Unpaid volunteers donate their time, effort, and love to trap the cats at the dump.
Feeding, Watering, And Caring: Feeding and watering are part of the TNR program. Additionally, volunteers provide medicine to help cats with ailments or transport the cats to local vets.
99%+ Of Cats Are Not Feral—They Are Abandoned And Discarded: The cats at the dump are abandoned. They didn’t decide to walk to the dump, thinking there was safety, shelter, food, water, and people who cared.
No.
People take a cat that they don’t want or can no longer afford because they moved off the island or because they don’t like their neighbor, trap it, drive to the dump, and throw it out of the car. Some people trap a feral cat in their neighborhood and discard it at the dump. They make it somebody else’s problem by making it not their problem.
Why The Cats Are At The Dump: The entire road has always had many animals due to the Humane Society/Animal Control shelter being on the road. The public brought chickens, cats, dogs, and pigs to the shelter. When the shelter gates were locked or closed, the public dropped the animals outside at the gate. I have seen dogs tied by their leashes at the gate, assuming somebody else would solve the problem.
Speak Up: Everyone realizes there is a cat problem, but humans caused it. The cats didn’t choose to be abandoned. Humans abandoned them.
Comments and Questions from Concerned Citizens
Question: How many cats are at the dump?
Answer: There are about 10 colonies of cats at the dump. The colonies next to the recycling bins are the most visible. Most of the cats come out after 5 PM as they’ve been conditioned to do that. After 5 PM, the traffic eases off a bit, so it’s safer, the weather is not quite as intense.
Question: The sign reads “Feeding feral animals is prohibited.” When was this sign placed at the Transfer Station? It states nothing in this notice of trapping and rescuing or rehoming the cats, correct?
Answer: There are very active people participating in the spay & neuter program, and many of the cats do have clipped ears. Typically, the ones that don’t are the ones that have been recently abandoned at the dump. It’s a never-ending process, but it would be way worse if it wasn’t for the program.
Other Comments
“There will be a lot of rodents if we don’t have cats at the transfer station…”
“This is not humane, and we have have created this. Let us humanely fix it!”
“People are the problem, not the cats. Cruel and inhumane.”
