VERNON – The issue of whether or not cats in Vernon should be licensed is up for debate after the local branch of the BCSPCA floated the idea as a possibility at a city council meeting. While no concrete plans are in the works the idea has people talking.
“It has so many benefits. We think it should at least be an idea on the table,” says Vernon and District BCSPCA branch manager Chelsea Taylor.
Taylor says most cats come into the Vernon BCSPCA as strays. However, some likely have homes.
“We think probably there are people out in the community that maybe aren’t looking for their cats and because their cats don’t come in with identification we don’t have a way of getting in touch with them,” she says.
Taylor estimates around 10 per cent of the cats that come into the Vernon BCSPCA are reunited with their owner.
“We would really like to improve that and cat licensing could be a way to help us do that,” she says.
For city councillor Catherine Lord there are still a lot of questions about the idea the BCSPCA hasn’t answered.
“Just from a gut reaction, I would say no for myself but I don’t have all the information, so I really want to wait until we get that,” says Lord. “I think really from our perspective we want to wait until she’s got some more information and we have a much better idea of just what it would entail.”
The Vernon BCSPCA knows a lot of things would need to be worked out if cat licensing was going to be put into place. The organization is simply floating it as one possible option to help improve animal welfare.
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