(Supplied by Pixabay)

By David Opinko

Fort Macleod considering “Trap Neuter Return cat program” to prevent overpopulation

Jan 30, 2020 | 12:28 PM

FORT MACLEOD, AB – Cats are crowding the community of Fort Macleod, and the town is looking to do something about it.

Town Council voted this week to proceed with public engagement on a Trap Neuter Return (TNR) program.

Director of Community and Protective Services Liisa Gillingham explains that they want to take cats that are found on the street, get them spayed or neutered, and return them back to the community.

“It the last few years, we have had an increase of concerns and complaints, to be fair, regarding roaming cats.”

Without any action, it is believed that cats could rapidly become overpopulated in Fort Macleod, as explained in the graphic below:

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A graphic explaining how quickly cat populations can grow. (Supplied by Town of Fort Macleod)

Public engagements should occur in late February or early March and would include an open forum.

The town would present its ideas for the TRN program and residents could then let the municipality know their thoughts, how many cats they see wandering the streets, and which areas are the most problematic.

Although the document presented to town council mentions “community cat populations” that could be captured including everything from wild and feral cats to pets, Gillingham does not think this would be an issue for residents.

“We would be, hopefully, holding all cats for 24 hours prior to any surgery or anything happening. Should pet owners realize that their cat has been inadvertently trapped, we would do our best to ensure that they were not part of that [TRN] program.”

Prior to the days when officials would be searching for cats, the public would be made aware of this so anyone who does have a pet cat can ensure they would be inside.

The exact cost of the program would depend on how many felines would have to be dealt with, but the current estimate is that it would cost $50 per cat for trapping and anywhere between $100-$150 per cat for vet care.

Following the consultation process, Gillingham says, if the town decides to go ahead with the program, it would start late this summer or early in the fall.

The Town of Fort Macleod is looking for volunteers who could assist with gathering information on numbers of cats and locations, as well as setting up on the trapping days.