November 12/2014

(E.B.W.) Critter Corner  

Feature:

How 2 Canadian Cities Are Keeping An Eye On Cats

           “When it comes to putting the collar on bird-killing cats, no Canadian city does it better than Calgary.

           Since 2006, when the city adopted a Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw, cat owners must ensure their animals are licensed & that they remain on the owner’s property.

           Fines for owners of cats caught at large are $100 when licensed, $250 when not.

           According to Tara Lowes, manager of Calgary’s animal shelter service, bylaw enforcement officers brought in only a handful of the 1,093 cats at large who were captured in 2012.

           …about 50 % of the captured cats are returned to owners, once the fines are paid. Stray, feral, or unclaimed cats who are friendly with people are spayed or neutered, then put up for adoption…

           She credited the bylaw with helping to control the city’s once-abundant stray cat population…

           We’ve definitely seen benefits,’ said Lowes. “We get a chance to educate cat owners…

           Montreal is taking several measures of its own when it comes to errant cats.

           For starters, the city announced plans in late 2011 to build a municipal animal control shelter that will house, among others, the 20,000 cats who are currently picked up &/or abandoned in the city each year.

           ‘Like many big urban centres, Montreal is dealing with an overpopulation of animals,’ said city spokesperson Valerie DeGagne.

           She added that the facility, which is scheduled to open in 2016, will house veterinary, adoption, & education services to promote & carry out cat spaying & neutering, adoption, & licensing.

           The city also introduced a cat licensing bylaw in 2011, becoming the first in Quebec to pass such a measure.

           Unlike Calgary, however, the bylaw does not make the purchase of a cat license mandatory.

           DeGagne says 10 of the city’s 19 boroughs have adopted it. Licenses vary between being free of charge & costing up to $15.”

Mark Cardwell

The Montreal Gazette

Dec. 7/2013

Cute Critter Pic

Weekly Chuckle

Canadian Links: 

Humane Society: https://www.humanesociety.com/

International Fund for Animal Welfare: www.ifaw.org/canada/

Canadian SPCA: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/.../the-canadian-spcala-spca-canadienne/