Caring for feral felines could become legal in Winnipeg if city adopts recommended bylaw changes

People in Winnipeg caring for feral cats in their area could no longer face the threat of fines if the city adopts recommended changes to its responsible pet ownership bylaw.

A new report going before the community services committee next week recommends allowing people to harbour cats on their property, as long as people keep the animals in humane conditions.

Craig Street Cats executive director Lynne Scott says people in the community want to help keep the population of feral cats down by having them spayed and neutered, but city rules forbid them from caring for the cats around their home.

"Anyone who cares for a cat in their yard becomes the de facto owner of the cat," Scott said.

That can lead to penalties, like having an unlicensed pet or a roaming cat penalties people like Claudia Allen have chosen to risk, in order to care for the cats.

"Just kind of been doing it as a rogue individual, I guess," Allen said.

"I mean, it's not a secret, and I think in general, people see the value in it."

Advocates like Allen and Scott have been pushing the city for years to change its rules.

Now, Animal Services general manager Leland Gordon says the city wants to remove the ambiguity from its bylaw and make it legal for people to do the work.

"There's a handful of people in our community who are trying to help community cats," Gordon said.

"They see a cat out there, they know one needs to be spayed and neutered and maybe they're putting a little structure in their backyard."

Those people will no longer be subject to fines or enforcement, unless someone complains, Gordon said.

"People need to keep their yards clean, uncluttered, sanitary. It needs to be done considering your neighbours."

Gordon wrote the report recommending the bylaw changes.

"There is an overpopulation of cats in Winnipeg," Gordon wrote in the report.

That problem exists in cities across North America, Winnipeg Humane Society executive director Jessica Miller said.

"We deal with about 4,500, sometimes 5,000 cats a year at the Winnipeg Humane Society," she said.

"We have cats living amongst us in all kinds of neighbourhoods all over Winnipeg, you know, trying to make it in our weather year-round."

'All for the greater good': head of humane society

Miller hopes the changes, if adopted, will encourage more people to take on the task, and reduce the overpopulation.

"Spaying, neuter[ing], and releasing them is something that people have done and have, so to speak, gotten away with it, but all for the greater good," she said.

In order to comply with the new rules, people or organizations caring for cats must either have a cat management program recognized by the Animal Services general manager, or be registered with a recognized cat management program.

They must provide food and water, limit the number of structures or shelters if the city directs them to, and work to rehome adoptable cats.

Community services committee chair Evan Duncan says he supports the proposed changes.

"This gives an opportunity for those cats that have gone stray, that still could be cared for, and not continue to populate, [becoming] more of a problem for the community," Duncan said.

The committee will vote on the proposed changes at its next meeting on Jan. 10.

WATCH |Caring for feral felines could become legal in Winnipeg if city adopts recommended bylaw changes:

Caring for feral felines could become legal in Winnipeg if city adopts recommended bylaw changes

9 months ago

Duration 1:49

People in Winnipeg caring for feral cats in their area could no longer face the threat of fines if the city adopts recommended changes to its responsible pet ownership bylaw.