Albany Herald

Photo by Kylie Carter

Marietta requested that discussion of the ordinance be placed on Tuesday's agenda during the commission's last work session because of what he said were unintended issues that have arisen out of the body's decision to amend the ordinance and strike a long-held exception to cats.

That exception has riled local animal activists who say that by including cats in the animal ordinance, it obligates cat owners to try and wrangle a pet that is notorious for being of a free-roaming nature.

Tuesday, Marietta asked the commission to consider forming a committee of government leaders, staff and concerned citizens to study the ordinance and make a recommendation to the full commission about any possible changes.

"We didn't envision putting cats literally on leashes as the media has pointed out," Marietta said during the meeting. "It's something that needs to be looked at, I think, and it would help if we got the community involved."

For the full story, see Thursday's print and online editions.