Traumatized kitty inspires cat convo at council
By Kyra Hoggan
Cat traps ended up in council conversation at their regular meeting last night, after a resident was alleged to have trapped a cat with an unauthorized and inhumane trap within the city.
Councillor Deb McIntosh asked that the city step up its public education about a) the fact that cats and dogs are not allowed to run around at large in the city and; b) humane, SPCA-approved cat traps are available for residents through the Civic Works department should someone find thhemselves dealing with a problem feline (or dog, for that matter).
“There were no breathing holes and the cat was kept in it for the weekend,” she said, explaining a bylaw officer was sent to pick up the trap and brought the animal to Kootenay Critters to be claimed by its owners. “You can’t just make your own cat trap or use whatever – this has to be done without causing undue harm and stress. This poor cat was traumatized, with bleeding claws.”
The issue was referred to the Public Safety Committee for discussion, but McIntosh clarified in a later interview that she’s not looking for a bylaw on the issue … yet.
“If it’s still happening and it has to be written into the bylaw to give us some teeth in enforcing it, then yes, I want it written into the bylaw,” she said. “For now, I just want to see some public information and education.”
To get more information about animal bylaws, trapping and access to humane city traps, contact City Hall at 250-365-7227 or Civic Works at 250-365-5979.
