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By Tiffany Goodwein

Feral cat population in hamlets to be mitigated with the help of Canadian Animal Task Force

Jun 21, 2021 | 7:50 AM

IRVINE, AB- Laying comfortably in his owner’s arms, Tiggs the cat feels right at home. But the fact that he has his own family, is a matter of luck. The cat was found abandoned near what is now his permanent home.

“It was actually in the back alley, and I literally heard the vehicle drive by and then we heard this cat going back and forth and just trying to cry out ,” said Orrie Taylor.

Taylor lives in Irvine, and said stories like Tiggs are far from unique. Cat abandonment and feral cats have become an issue for some time.

Across town, near the fire hall, feral cats are especially common.

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“On this side , the south side of Irvine, there has got to be at least 50 cats that just sort of hang out on South Railway and sort of take this whole strip up,” said resident Louis Hashem.

The issue has become so rampant Cypress County has resorted to the Canadian Animal Task Force to get the cat population under control in Irvine, Suffield and Walsh.

” We figure between the three hamlets that we are working in that there is going to be an estimated 200 cats. It’s hard to say because cats do move from area to area,” said executive director RJ Bailot.

The organization will be trapping the cats using humane methods. The cats will then be transported to Calgary where they will be spayed or neutered, as well as vaccinated.

Some of the cats will be rehomed, while others who do not do well in a home environment will be re-released into the area. The goal according to Bailot is to create a healthy population over time.

As for why there are so many cats? The Canadian Animal task force said that is due to a variety of reasons, including new cats coming into the Hamlets

” Often along the Hamlets, there is a lot of traffic, and people have been known to abandon animals. They see a farm and think, ‘ oh well I can release my cat here. So we know that happens. That is a reality, unfortunately,” Bailot said.

The number of cats not spayed or neutered also contributes to the spike. Bailot said cats can reproduce quickly.

” It’s quite preventable if it is addressed immediately, and unfortunately that is not always the case,” Bailot said.

The Canadian Animal Task Force will be in Wash on Monday, June 22, and in Irvine and Suffield on June 22 and June 23. Residents with cats are asked to keep them indoors until the Canadian Animal Task Force is finished trapping cats.