Proposed updates to the current cat bylaw seek to place stricter rules on cat ownership within Sundre.
Proposed updates to the current cat bylaw seek to place stricter rules on cat ownership within Sundre.
Councillors discussed the proposed updates to the bylaw, which provides for licensing, regulation and control of cats within the town’s boundaries, during the governance meeting on Feb. 11.
Kevin Heerema, the town’s bylaw officer, proposed the new bylaw to council at the meeting, where council requested that a few amendments be made.
They voted to move any approval of the bylaw to the next council meeting, on Feb. 19, with the amendments in place.
One of the proposed amendments discussed was that an owner of a cat must be aged 18 or over.
Coun. Cheri Funke initiated a lengthy discussion between councillors on this concept because according to the dog bylaw, a dog owner only has to be aged 16 or over.
However, the dog owner must be 18 if the dog is declared vicious.
After back and forth discussion, council members recommended to change the required age to own a cat from 18 to 16.
Another guideline outlined in the proposed bylaw reads that if a licensed cat has a tattoo or a microchip, they don’t need to wear their licence tag outdoors.
Sundre mayor Annette Clews disagreed with this because the dog bylaw says dogs need to have their tags on them at all times, regardless.
Heerema said either this can be removed from the cat bylaw, or the dog bylaw will be changed to be fair.
The updated bylaw, compared to the current one, which was last updated in March of 2008, emphasizes stricter rules surrounding cats being outdoors.
The reasoning for this is because in the last year there has been an increase in the number of cats found at large, said Heerema.
No cat owner is permitted to allow his or her cat to run at large, according to the updated bylaw.
"Throughout the bylaw some sections were added to hold cat owners as responsible as dog owners, with our new dog bylaw," said Heerema.
The current dog bylaw was updated last year, leading to the proposed update of the cat bylaw, he said.
"We also addressed cats being left unattended in motor vehicles," he said.
"It’s not something that happens as often as it does with dogs, but I have seen some cats in the cars in the warm summer months or in the cold winter months and those temperatures do affect them as well," he explained.
Another change in the proposed bylaw says that if an owner wants to foster a cat or has a cat and is new to town, they have 10 days to license their cat with the Town of Sundre, rather than 30, he said.
Fees for licensing cats were increased in January and now fines are reaching an increase as well, he said.
Penalty fines for obstruction of the bylaw range from $50 to $1,000.
