Sat, February 25, 2006

Purr-emptive strike
Proposed cat licence bylaw up for final approval aims at protection

By MICHAEL PLATT, CALGARY SUN

The days of feline anarchy may soon be over, with Calgary's first mandatory cat-licensing bylaw eaded to city council for final approval.

The bylaw, which calls for annual licences of $30 for unneutered cats and $15 for altered animals, was drafted after bylaw boss Bill Bruce conducted a survey showing 80% of Calgarians are now in favour of keeping tabs on the city's estimated 100,000 tabbies.

"The goal is a lot fewer animals in shelters, and less dead cats," said Bruce, the city's chief bylaw officer.

"We are recommending a mandatory cat registry to city council."

The new bylaw, called the responsible pet ownership bylaw, also includes new rules and stiffer fines for aggressive animals, but the most contentious change will be council's first serious attempt to license Calgary's huge cat population.

When last considered more than a decade ago, city hall was flooded with phone calls and letters of outrage from cat owners opposed to the move.

Bruce, whose department interviewed more than 3,000 Calgarians about the bylaw, 1,600 of those through a random telephone survey, found more than 80% of people now support licences for cats.

Bruce believes the success of the dog licensing program, which now sees 88% of impounded dogs returned home, has convinced responsible cat owners their cats deserve the same.

"They're ideas have changed after seeing what we've done with dogs,"said Bruce.

As well, organizations like the Humane Society have expressed support for cat registration, a move the group says will help cut down on euthanizations.

Of the 9,000 cats turned in to city shelters, more than 40% are euthanized, compared to a relative handful of dogs.

Ald. Craig Burrows, who became the first alderman to risk publicly supporting a cat licence bylaw late last year, said he's pleased to hear Calgarians are no longer yowling over the idea of a feline bylaw.

"It's nice to see people feel the same way," said Burrows.

"Cats have the right to wander at will, and it's not right or responsible -- they can get hurt, or make a mess on another property."

The new bylaw doesn't specifically stop cats from going outside, as some people might have hoped, but it continues to make a cat wandering at large illegal, if someone complains.

The new animal control bylaw will also tighten rules banning livestock within the city limits.

Aldermen start debating the new rules at a public meeting next Wednesday.