Earlier this month, the Victoria Natural History Society (VNHS) sent out a letter to all 13 mayors and councils in the Capital Regional District, calling for stronger enforcement of existing bylaws as well as the introduction of licensing for cats.
“It’s about creating awareness,” society member Ann Nightingale said.
“I’ll guarantee that most people in Victoria, Esquimalt, and Oak Bay didn’t realize that there was already a cat control bylaw on the books there.”
Under existing Victoria city bylaws, cat owners must maintain control of their pets at all times in public, meaning cats need to be leashed or in a kennel. Cats are also banned from trespassing.
But the idea of licensing is new, at least here.
“In Calgary they did this in 2007, and they use the money from licences to fund returning cats to their owners,” Nightingale said.
The VNHS claims this will go a long way in protecting wildlife, property, and even the cats themselves.
So far, there has been no uptake on the idea. Of the 13 municipalities to receive the letter, only View Royal and Colwood have responded.
“I’ve received zero emails from our community and I really haven’t been contacted by anybody saying this was a major concern and I don’t think council has either,” Colwood Mayor Rob Martin said. “Hence the reason we’re not doing anything at the present time.”
Still, Nightingale said there’s support out there and the society hopes to build on that.