The Municipality of Brighton is looking to hear what residents think about a proposed cat control bylaw.
A 21-day public consultation period soliciting residents’ feedback is underway now. As part of this, there is an online survey residents can fill out.
The survey asks residents about ownership, potential issues in the community – ranging from wildlife impacts to stray and feral populations, and more – and looks to gauge support as to whether there’s an appetite for cat-related bylaw enforcement.
The survey also asks residents to weigh in on what specific measures people might support when it comes to a cat control bylaw. Some of the options include areas such as mandatory licensing or microchipping, limiting cats in households, requirements to keep cats indoors, complaint procedures, banning feeding of strays, support for trap-neuter-return programs, et cetera.
Residents can access the survey (which launched June 17) online.
Public comments will guide future council direction around any cat control program and related financial implications. If council does advance with any measures, the municipality’s dog control bylaw would have to be amended to include the regulation of cats.
Back in December, council directed staff to investigate humane best practices and ways to manage issues around stray and feral cats and tackle reported negative impacts, such as those related to bird populations.
A May staff report related to the proposal lays out concerns, research and options, as well as potential cost increases, in more detail.
The only other community in Northumberland that reportedly has a bylaw prohibiting stray cats is Cobourg.
According to municipal staff, the authority to apprehend stray cats is only possible in municipalities where bylaws are in place prohibiting stray and/or free-roaming cats.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
