Thursday, March 2 2006
Cat bylaw clears hurdle
Tony Seskus and Colette Derworiz
Calgary Herald
Thursday, March 02, 2006
City hall is forging ahead with plans to license all of Calgary's 100,000 cats as an aldermanic committee gave narrow approval to the strategy Wednesday.
Aldermen voted four to three to recommend the responsible pet ownership bylaw, which would require all cat owners to license their felines for up to $30 annually, or face a fine as high as $250.
The proposed rules must now go to city council for approval on March 13.
Opponents of the cat licensing scheme were upset by the decision, warning it could put more felines on the street.
"It's very sad and very short-sighted," said Dawn Hanson, executive director of the Feline Rescue Foundation of Alberta. "Abandonment goes up with licensing bylaws because people don't want to be fined, people are afraid of punitive action."
But supporters of the city's strategy celebrated the news, saying it's an important step in helping Calgary's felines, 9,000 of which ended up in shelters last year. Only half of those cats were returned to their owners, in part due to a lack of identification.
City officials say dog licensing helped return 89 per cent of strays to their owners last year.
"It's a big day for cats," said Cathy Thomas, executive director of the Calgary Humane Society. "It's a good thing because now we're saying they're worthy of the responsible care they deserve."
Under the proposed bylaw, cats would have to be licensed beginning Jan. 1.
Ald. Craig Burrows made an amendment that would offer owners of fixed, tattooed and/or microchipped cats a $5 discount on the licensing fee if done before the end of this year.
Another key amendment Wednesday would see the city work with shelters and other cat groups to develop a program that would make spaying and neutering cats affordable for low-income Calgarians.
But the city still has a lot of work to do to win over angry pet owners, some of whom think the city is trying to make money from licensing cats.
"It's just a cash cow for the city," said Terri Gillingham of the Southern Alberta Calgary Cat Fanciers.
The program would boost the city's cat control budget by $110,000 to $531,000.
The city's responsible pet ownership bylaw also proposes to ban livestock from residential neighbourhoods and increases fines for aggressive dog incidents and attacks.
cderworiz@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2006