Owners of cat who came home after ‘unpleasant night’ hope it sheds light on larger issue

VANCOUVER – The owners of a cat in Campbell River are hoping their story will bring about change to their municipal bylaws.

Terri and Norman’s cat, GirlGirl, came home on last Wednesday morning with a note duct taped to her collar.

The note read:

Your cat has spent an unpleasant night. Please be a responsible pet owner and keep your cat in your own yard. We are tired of having it prowl our deck and we do not like gardening in a litter box. Should it come back we will have to take other measures.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: Your cat has spent an unpleasant night. Please be a responsible pet owner and keep your cat in your own yard. We are tired of having it prowl our deck and we do not like gardening in a litter box. Should it come back we will have to take other measures.

“She’s fine now, she’s great,” says Terri. “She wasn’t when she first came back, but she is now.”

The cat was using the dog door to go in and out of their house.

Terri says since the story first appeared in the Courier-Island paper, it has been picked up by outlets around the world. She says the husband of the couple responsible for keeping their cat overnight has since come to their home, apologized and told them their cat was never abused. But he is not going to stop trapping cats.

“I get the side that not everybody likes cats,” she says. “But I can’t protect the fact that he’s going to keep trapping them.”

She would like the issue of what happened to GirlGirl to be used to highlight the bigger issue that there are no bylaws about cats in Campbell River. Stephanie Arkwright, Manager of the Campbell River SPCA, told the Courier-Island paper that they want to give people the option for nuisance cats in the community.

We do not condone cats being inhumanely trapped, harmed, traumatized, relocated or abandoned – all these actions are against the Provincial Cruelty to Animals Act, and all of the above are chargeable offences.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: We do not condone cats being inhumanely trapped, harmed, traumatized, relocated or abandoned - all these actions are against the Provincial Cruelty to Animals Act, and all of the above are chargeable offences.

Terri says she is concerned that without any specific bylaws, anyone can do whatever they want without consequences.

She says she contacted the SPCA and was told the best thing to do would be “to build a covered play area in the backyard for your cat.”

“Really?” says Terri. “I’m really disappointed with the SPCA.”

She says the focus should now be on what everyone can do to help protect peoples’ pets and all animals in the community and that their story leads to some sort of positive resolution.