NASHUA – Local cat owner Gary Braun acknowledged to The Telegraph late Friday that he has distributed flyers throughout the community alleging his viewpoint that the city plans to capture innocent felines.

“I’m going to fight this ordinance to the nail,” Braun said regarding Ordinance 19-052.

The flyer that was distributed to some residents features contact information for both Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess and Alderwoman Patricia Klee. It alleges to residents that city officials plan to take cats away from them.

Klee said the information on the flyer regarding Ordinance 19-052 is false.

One side of the flyer directly states, “Mayor Jim Donchess and Aldermen Trish Klee of the City of Nashua are trying to pass a new ordinance that would restrict your cat to your property unless it’s on a leash. As presently proposed, the new law would allow the City Police to impound your furry family member as a ‘stray’ without informing you or giving you the opportunity to retrieve your pet.”

However, Klee said the leash laws are meant to keep animals safe. Her message to pet owners is to chip their animals, or have some sort of identification so that they can be reunited.

“I just want people to realize the city is not going to come take your animals,” Klee said.

On the other side of the flyer, it is alleged, “The new law will deprive cat owners of their pets, including by putting them up for adoption or euthanizing them, all without ever notifying the cat owner!”

However, Klee emphasized the Humane Society for Greater Nashua will try to find ownership before any euthanization.

Additionally, Klee said this is not a “leash law.” Rather, it details how cats are not supposed to be off one’s property. However, she understands that cats may escape, and emphasizes the importance of chipping or having an identification collar on pets. She said she has even talked with people who told her they allow their cats to run free. She just wants people to just keep their cats safe.

Klee he has been dealing with numerous phone calls, some of which she said were threatening. Since the flyer was distributed sometime Thursday, she has received a few emails and more than 20 calls.

“Including a phone call late last night (Thursday night) from a crying child asking me not to take her cat and kill it,” Klee said.

Furthermore, city Chief of Staff Cheryl Lindner said those at City Hall have been receiving calls and emails. Although Donchess was not in the office on Friday, Lindner said the information on that flyer was inaccurate, and has been referring questions to Klee since she was on of the sponsors. Alderwoman-at-Large Shoshanna Kelly is also a sponsor.

Aside from the calls coming in, she also said there has been a lot of Facebook activity regarding the flyer.

“If you look at the ordinance that was brought up at the Board of Aldermen meeting a couple weeks ago, it referred to animals that were sick, and you could see they were sick, to take them to the shelter, not a leash law,” Lindner said.

The amended language for the impoundment of dogs, cats, ferrets and chickens has been amended to include lines (6) and (7): “(6) Any cat or ferret which is off the premises of the owner and either a) a nuisance or b) suspected of being or which is diseased or injured; and

(7) Any cat or ferret which the Dog Office or other authorized person has reason to believe is a stray.”

Those amendments can be found on the city website at, www.nashuanh.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/6163.

Nashua Corporation Counsel Steve Bolton said rather than going after residents’ cats, he said the city’s goal is to create a safer environment for pets.

“If there is an injured animal, it will be taken and given appropriate treatment,” Bolton said. “If nuisances are being created, that nuisance will be appropriately dealt with, but this is completely mischaracterized as being a leash law for cats. It’s pretty much over the top.”

Via the phone, Braun alleged the ordinance is “unconstitutional.”

“I want her to know it’s me, and the mayor to know it’s me,” Braun said.

Klee was angry on Friday.

“I’m beside myself – I don’t know what to say,” Klee said. “I can tell you that people have been pushed to the point where they have made threats to me, they have yelled at me.”

“I believe that it was meant for political malice, but the sad thing is, it’s not going to hurt me politically, but it is hurting children and it is hurting adults because it is scaring them,” Klee said.

Klee understands why people are upset.

“I had one person who yelled at me and told me that, ‘I know what your address is,'” Klee said.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.