Sacramento, Calif. ? It all came together in a Capitol cafeteria, where opponents of a bill to require mandatory sterilization of puppies and kittens gathered to lick their wounds after a contentious hearing.

They were upset at what they believed to be misrepresentations made by supporters of the bill, said Diane Amble, one of the participants.

But they also were heartened to see that the bill had mobilized pet owners.

“Everybody said, ‘The sleeping giant has awoken,”‘ Amble recalled.

That “sleeping giant” is now trying to throw around some of its newfound heft.

Opponents of Assembly Bill 1634 are collecting signatures for seven initiatives that would address a wide range of pet issues.

The initiatives would ban mandatory sterilization and laws requiring pets to be embedded with microchips, curtail euthanasia at shelters, cap license fees and lift restrictions on the number of pets a person can own.

“We want to reclaim our rights and freedom,” Amble said.

The loose confederation of dog and cat show clubs and others say that AB 1634 got them off their couches to counter what they see as threats to that freedom.

“What we found from that is that our Legislature does not seem to be listening to us,” said Jill Holt, an Akita breeder listed as the official proponent of an initiative to recognize pets as property.

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, said the opponents of his sterilization bill now backing the initiatives are mostly dog breeders worried about profits.