I know this might be a controversial opinion, but I think it’s something that needs to be addressed in my area. It seems like people around here don’t really care for their cats, and I wonder if some of the ones I see regularly might be part of a feral colony. I’ve seen over 10 different cats on my small property (not all at once), and recently, when the temperature dropped below -20°C (-4°F), I still saw them hiding under cars. One of the cats appeared to be only a few months old, which is heartbreaking. Another cat is missing its tail, and one has a missing ear. The area also has a lot of skunks and raccoons, which can be dangerous, so I’m concerned for their safety. If these cats have homes, they should definitely be in them. But I’m also worried that the city’s solution might be to just put them all down. What are your thoughts?
Update: I’ve done some research and found local groups monitor the feral cat population in the area. I am near a shelter (I didn’t know that) so it’s possible these are shelter cats. I’m just going to work with that shelter to see if thats the case. I have security cam footage of a few of them but not posting pictures for privacy reasons.
Also I’d love to bring them in but I only rent a room here. The owners should prefer I didn’t do that so I need to honor that. However if the local shelter thinks it’s ok I may set a heated cathouse in the back yard.
Torontonian here. It might be worth asking, but I can tell you right now they’d laugh at you. Their boomer voting base doesn’t want to bother and they have big federal problems to worry about. Heck look at Scotland right now, some people suggested keeping cats out of conservation areas to protect bird species and everyone is freaking out. Despite being great for the environment, outdoor cat bans are not popular with voters.
You may have more luck with your local councilor. Pet issues tend to be handled at the municipal level. Even your MPP would be a much better choice, assuming they aren’t conservative. However if you really want the situation fixed anytime soon, you’ll need to either get help from a charity like the Humane Society or take care of it all yourself.
Banning cats from conservation areas sounds reasonable, but how do you actually go about enforcing that? It sounds practically unenforceable.