… with Bonnie Earle-Harris, manager of the SPCA shelter in Gander
Bonnie Earl-Harris, manager of the SPCA shelter in Gander (Photo B. Calonego)
The big city of Calgary has it and the progressive town of Gander has it: a licence for cats and their owners. Bonnie, how much do people pay for a license?
Licensing fees are $30 for the lifetime of the animal.
Did the local people protest against licensing cats? What was their reaction?
Some people are upset about having to pay the fee for an “indoor” cat but for the most part there is no real fuss.
So far, how has it worked out?
In regards to it working with identifying stray animals, it’s not that great because most people do not wear collars on their cats.
Does it help with cat overpopulation?
I don’t think it helps with cat overpopulation as most caring, responsible owners will be searching for their cats regardless if it has “town tags” or not, while uncaring, irresponsible owners just won’t wear the tags on their cats anyway. Micro-chipping would be a much better system.
What are the positive effects of licensing cats?
Licensing brings in revenue for the town involved. Here in the town of Gander some of that revenue is then used to help with the running of our shelter.
We work in conjunction with the town, and any “stray” animal picked up by animal control here in Gander is then brought to our shelter.
In the case of cats, if that cat is not claimed by its owners, the ownership of that cat is then given to the SPCA to hopefully find a home for it.
Don`t other towns around Gander require licenses for cats, too?
It’s not that they don’t have fees for cats but the fact is that a lot of small communities don’t even have town councils, therefore there are no bylaws in place for “roaming” cats.
Because there are no bylaws there is no need for animal control officers or holding areas for stray cats. Of those communities that do have councils, very few have regulations in place regarding roaming cats.
What does that mean for the SPCA shelter in Gander?
The challenge for us in these situations is that when someone finds stray cats or kittens in one of those communities, we are the ones that are called to take said animal in. Thus not only are we always filled to capacity with cats and kittens from outside of Gander, it also puts a strain on us financially.
Thank you, Bonnie, for this interview.
