The days of the friendly neighborhood feline freely roaming the suburbs may soon be over.
That’s because at Wednesday’s community development meeting, councilmembers voted in favor of a statute that would prohibit cat owners from letting their pets roam freely outside their property.
The motion was introduced by Ward 17 Don Valley North Count. Shelley Carroll, who argues that it is safer for cats to stay indoors or on a leash if they are outdoors.
Read more:
Toronto updates bylaws to improve interactions with city wildlife
Scott Tinney, an animal justice attorney, is one of many advocates backing the proposal.
“Working in the field of animal law, I hear about terrible things that happen to animals,” he says.
“We simply believe that it is best for cats to keep them indoors. They live indoors longer, they’re safer from coyote predation, they’re safer from being hit by cars.”
Nathalie Karvonen, a wildlife biologist and executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Center agrees, but for other reasons.
“Cats have a devastating impact on wildlife populations,” he told Global News.
“There was a Canada Environment Study that was done where they looked at songbird mortality across the country, and the study concluded that the number one reason for the death of songbirds in Canada was roaming cats. freely”.
But Toronto cat owner Linda Harnarine has let her two furry friends roam free for decades and disagrees with the proposed statute.
“My cats love to go outside. I am happy that they can go out because they suffer from stress and it is important that they run, get fresh air and exercise, ”he said.
“It’s like putting a leash on a baby. I couldn’t do that.
City staff have also raised concerns about how the statute would be enforced.
“I shouldn’t be malicious about this, and I gather (the proposal) just passed by,” said Mayor John Tory.
“I will not support this in council. I just don’t believe in passing laws that are impossible for us to enforce.”
There are also concerns that the statute could put a strain on animal shelters across the city.
“I think it would put pressure on any animal welfare agency or organization,” said Phil Nichols, chief operating officer of the Humane Society of Toronto.
“The other thing to keep in mind with the app is to make sure you’re not penalizing people who are already tied up and facing financial issues and other barriers, because mistakes happen.”
About 90 municipalities across the country and a handful in the Greater Toronto Area have enacted similar statutes, including Newmarket, Markham and Hamilton.
Toronto’s outdoor cat ban proposal is expected to come before the council later this month.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.