Retain, Enforce and Revise the Comox Valley Regional District Bylaw 100 - Animal Control for Electoral Areas A, B and C on Cats Running at Large

The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) are planning to revise Bylaw 100 – Animal Control for Electoral Areas A, B and C by eliminating cats from the definition of "At Large Other Animals".

We wish to have CVRD Bylaw 100 - Animal Control for Electoral Areas A, B and C retained with cats in the definition of "At Large Other Animals". In addition, to have Bylaw 100 fully enforced for the following reasons:
- reduce cat over-population;
- prevent killing of birds;
- prevent dumping/relocating;
- prevent damage to people's property;
- prevent unwanted viruses and parasites on other animals; and
- for the health and safety of the cat.

In addition, we would like to have the following revisions to the current bylaw:
- increase the animal control fees for Animals (other than Dogs) to correspond with the animal control fees for Unlicensed Dogs;
- order all cats to be to be spayed or neutered;
- feral cats to become the responsibility of those feeding it; and
- adopt strategies similar to what other communities are doing to combat the issue, such as cat licensing.

According to BC's Municipal Animal Bylaws Summary of the BC SPCA Review, "Across B.C. in 2013, approximately 76 % of stray dogs are reclaimed by owners from the BC SPCA. On the contrary, approximately 12.5 % of stray cats are reclaimed by their owners. This is evidence of both cat overpopulation and the low value of cats in our society. Many cat owners do not have identification for their cats because they stay indoors and owners do not think it is possible for their cat to get lost. However, a study in 2007 found that 41 % of people looking for their lost cats considered them to be “indoor only” pets. The same study also found that lost neutered cats were significantly more likely to be recovered than were lost sexually intact cats. This means that lost, sexually intact cats are contributing to cat overpopulation."

Research study, "Estimated Number of Birds Killed by Cats in Canada", conducted by Environment Canada scientist, Peter Blancher, estimates that “cats kill between 100 million and 350 million birds per year in Canada, 38% of those by pet cats, and the rest by feral cats.”

Lack of stringent bylaws, and the enforcement of the CVRD Bylaw 100 of "At Large other Animals" encourages illegal dumping/relocating of cats. Based on an article posted in the Comox Valley Record (CVR), August 7, 2018, Volume 33, No 63, illegal dumping of cats has been happening for years. And, in contrast to what is stated in the article, there is a bylaw for cats running at large in the CVRD Electoral Areas A, B and C, which was noted in CVR August 14, 2018, page A9, Letter to the Editor, "Animal bylaw exists to prevent needless suffering and death."

Cats defecate, urinate and spray on other people’s property causing damage, inconvenience and expense. It should not be the offended parties responsibility to take measures that sometime involve costly deterrents, including cleaning defecation, urine and spray.

Often, there is no consequence for allowing cats to roam unsupervised and some may not be inoculated; thereby, potentially carrying viruses and parasites that are detrimental to other family pets.

According to Responsible Cat Ownership / Canada, there is "A common misconception is that domestic cats - like their wild big cat cousins - need to roam freely in the outdoors. In truth, unlike lions or leopards, domestic cats are poorly equipped to navigate the minefield of outdoor risks that exist. Cats left outside to roam freely face an average life expectancy of two to five years. In contrast, cats living within the home enjoy an average life expectancy of 12 ½ years."

From, B.C.s Municipal Animal Bylaws Summary of the BC SPCA's Review, "Research on the human relationship with animals has revealed that dogs are more highly valued in society than cats. In British Columbia, the amount of cats that enter our BC SPCA shelters is almost always higher than the amount of dogs. In one community, Our shelters took in 6 times the number of cats as dogs in 2011. Across our entire shelter system, we receive 1.6 times as many cats as dogs.

Municipal bylaws have the power to change these figures. Enforced mandatory cat identification, one time registration,and annual licensing, have all been shown to increase the reclaim rates of cats. Enforced mandatory spay/neuter with a low - cost spay/neuter fund, when paired with bylaws that prohibit the roaming of unsterilized cats, has led to a demonstrated decrease in cat overpopulation in many communities. Providing cats with breakaway collars and a visible ID tag has also been successful in reuniting cats with their homes.

Municipalities must take responsibility for cat overpopulation or the problem will become even worse. The costs of coping with cat overpopulation are much higher than initiating programs to have all pets spayed or neutered. In New Hampshire, it is estimated that the state’s program to end pet overpopulation has resulted in savings to taxpayers of $3.23 for every dollar spent on the subsidized sterilization program."