A local cat shelter has requested the city enact a cat control bylaw to help reduce the “out-of-control feline population” in Orillia.
In a recent letter to the mayor, the board of directors from Comfie Cat Shelter proposed the bylaw, drafted from regulations in neighbouring municipalities, for the city to consider.
The proposed bylaw contains a variety of measures governing cat control, capture, care, and penalties for non-compliance with the regulation.
Some of the proposed measures are as follows:
- That no cat owner shall permit their cat to run at large;
- That no person may keep more than five cats, at any one time, in a dwelling unit or the adjoining property – with some exceptions, such as for cats under 12 weeks old;
- That owners of any cat four months or older shall ensure the cat is immunized against rabies, as required, to keep the vaccination current;
- That cats must be provided with a clean and sanitary environment, with adequate care, food, water, shelter, attention, etc.;
- That no person shall use a live trap to capture a cat, unless authorized by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources or other authority, and more
The proposed bylaw contains provisions for when a cat is captured by local authorities, stating the animal shelter will make reasonable efforts to identify and contact the owner of the cat.
When impounded, the owner must pay an impound fee of $25, as well as $20 for each day the cat is in shelter, and any expenses incurred during the cat’s care, such as veterinary care.
Excluding Sundays, statutory holidays, and the day of impoundment, a cat must be claimed within 10 days. After 10 days, a cat can be rehomed if the owner has not been identified, or if the owner has not paid the impoundment fees.
The proposed bylaw also outlines penalties for infractions against its policies, which are as follows:
- Upon a first conviction, the minimum fine shall be $350 and the maximum fine shall be $100,000;
- Upon a second conviction, the minimum fine shall be $500 and the maximum fine shall be $100,000; and
- Upon a conviction of a continuing offence, or a multiple offence, the minimum fine shall be $500 and the maximum fine shall be $10,000 for each day or part of a day that the offence continues.
“It is our hope that these bylaws can be implemented as soon as possible to help curb the out-of-control feline population explosion in Orillia we are experiencing at this time,” the board wrote in its letter.
“These proposed bylaws could install effective control measures that should help decrease the current feline population and help prevent the problem from getting worse and even more out of control.”
In his response, Mayor Don McIsaac said the city is currently not looking into a cat control bylaw.
“I have been made aware by staff that this topic has been discussed by prior councils in the past, however, ultimately a bylaw has never been passed due to the substantive costs to administer and enforce such a bylaw,” McIsaac said.
In 2015, the OSPCA advised city staff that a bylaw prohibiting cats from running at large would cost the city $100,000 per year for enforcement, up to $10,000 for veterinary expenses, and $160 per cat, for each cat brought into the shelter in excess of 400.
“Based on the numbers provided in 2015, the total approximate costs could be up to $174,000 for the first year of implementation,” the mayor wrote.
Council has not requested a reevaluation of the costs associated with a cat control bylaw at this time, McIsaac said, but said city staff have committed to considering the recommendations from the proposed bylaw if council directs them to do so at a later date.
