Cats and Birds | Cat Bylaws
Ask your local government to adopt cat bylaws
Cats are the most common pets in Canadian households, outnumbering dogs and other companion animals (Humane Canada, 2017). However, the majority of BC municipalities don’t recognize cats in policy to the same extent as dogs. There are minimal to no protection policies that adequately address cat welfare, contributing to the cat overpopulation crisis and leaving millions of cats left to suffer outdoors. Charity and volunteer-based cat welfare organizations are overwhelmed by the volume of abandoned cats and the challenge of managing feral cat colonies.
One of the primary reasons for this issue is the common practices of allowing cats to roam unsupervised, along with low rates of spay/neuter, and a lack of regulations to address an existing cat problem and preventing more cats from living outdoors. Moreover, free-roaming cats negatively impact biodiversity and community health, predating on protected species, spreading parasites and diseases to other animals and people, and causing tension between neighbours over roaming cats trespassing private property and parks.
Only together we can help cats, wildlife and communities to co-exist. Ask your local government to recognize cats in municipal bylaws, adopt policies to support local cat welfare, and enforce responsible cat ownership practices. Send a letter to your Mayor and Council to raise awareness of this issue and advocate cat-specific bylaws in your area.
How to send a letter to the Mayor and Council:
To email your letter:
- Download the Word document above.
- Copy and paste its content into a new email.
- Fill in the gray sections with your information.
- Address the email to your Mayor and Councillors. Find their email addresses by visiting www.civicinfo.bc.ca/directories and typing your municipality into the search bar. Click on the elected official you wish to address your email to, copy their email address, and paste it into the “To: ” box of the email. You can include multiple addresses in the same email.
- Click ‘Send’.
To mail your letter:
- Download the Word document above.
- Fill in the gray sections with your information.
Print the letter and mail it to your Mayor’s office. Visit www.civicinfo.bc.ca/directories to find the mailing address by typing your municipality into the search bar.
If you are not able to download the letter, copy the template text below:
Date: ______
RE: Adopt Cat Bylaws in YOUR CITY/ TOWN/ MUNICIPALITY
Dear Honorable NAME OF MAYOR:
As a resident of YOUR CITY/ TOWN/ MUNICIPALITY, I am writing to ask you to take action on the stray and feral cat problem in our community by adopting bylaws that prevent cats from roaming at large.
[Add your complaint or description of an encounter with roaming cats.]
When cats are allowed to roam outdoors unsupervised, they put themselves and local wildlife in danger. Scientific research has shown that outdoor cats are the leading cause of bird mortality in Canada, killing nearly 350 million birds every year (Blancher, 2013). Cats also prey on other native wildlife, such as reptiles, bats, and other small mammals, threatening species at risk and competing with local predators for food. Additionally, cats face a number of dangers when roaming, including predators, toxins, vehicles, pregnancy, and diseases that can be transmitted to other animals and humans. Local welfare organizations are overwhelmed by the cat overpopulation crisis and need the support of the government to reduce the number of roaming cats on the street and rescue abandoned cats.
I support no-roam cat bylaws that protect the health and safety of local wildlife, domestic and feral cats, and our community. To ensure that these bylaws are effective, I strongly advocate for the following government actions:
- Prevent cats from roaming beyond their owner’s property
- Mandate spaying and neutering of cats to address cat overpopulation
- Subsidize cat spaying and neutering services for low-income households
- Mandate permanent ID and licensing to return lost cats to their owners
- Limit the number of cats per household to address feral cat overpopulation
- Support cat control services to remove feral cat colonies from the community
- Train bylaw officers on how to address cat-related complaints and nuisance cats
- Educate the public on responsible cat ownership practices
No-roam cat policies will benefit everyone, including cat owners and their pets, non-cat owners, and people who experience the negative consequences of stray and feral cats.
Thank you for your attention to this issue and your efforts to make our community safe for all – humans, wildlife, and furry friends alike. I look forward to seeing the adoption of roaming cat policies and bylaws.
Sincerely,
First and Last Name
Phone
Address
