The District of Elkford has voted to amend the animal control bylaw to require cats to be licensed and kept under control, similar to dogs.
The District said cat owners must annually license their pets and keep them indoors or on their property to prevent their pets from roaming around the community.
Annual licensing fees for cats and dogs are the same, $11 for a spayed or neutered pet or $25 for an intact animal. A $5 late fee will be added to each license if it is purchased after February 26th, 2021.
Elkford said the fines for cats at-large, failure to license cats and failure to clean up after cats will be the same as for dogs, with fines of at least $50 per violation.
“According to a municipal animal bylaw study released by the BC SPCA in 2015, cat-specific municipal bylaws help significantly to decrease cat overpopulation, increase the reclaim rates of cats and reunite lost cats with their owners in British Columbia,” said the District of Elkford.
Over the next month, bylaw enforcement will work on educating pet owners and addressing the public’s concerns, while working with the community to promote responsible pet ownership.
Residents with questions or concerns can contact the local bylaw office at 250-865-4024 or [email protected].