At the March 19, 2024 Regular Council Meeting, staff recommended that the Feral Cat Trap, Neuter, Return, Pilot Project be temporarily suspended until a new vendor is selected for Kennel Services in Kawartha Lakes. Council agreed with the recommendation and the pilot program is currently suspended.
For more information read the Feral Cat Trap Neuter Return Manage Pilot Project and Kennel Services council report.
In January 2023, the municipality launched a two-year Stray and Feral Cat Pilot Project.
To prepare for the pilot, the Kawartha Lakes Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing team is working to gather information on the municipality’s domestic and feral cat populations.
The first intake of the two surveys has been completed, thank you for your input!
Background
In June 2022, Council received the Stray and Feral Cats report from the Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing team. The decision of Council directed staff to establish by-law regulations to:
- establish a requirement in urban areas, that domestic cat owners keep their cats within their property boundaries,
- to provide education on stray and feral cats,
- to create a Trap Neuter Release Monitor (TNRM) program for the municipality,
- research funding and regulations to guide people or groups of people that are caring for cat colonies.
All information gathered will be used to support the Stray and Feral Cat Pilot Project.
If you have additional questions about the by-law change and Stray and Feral Cat Pilot Project, please contact the Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing team through the Who’s Listening section on the right. For any animal or by-law complaints unrelated to stray and feral cats please go directly to the Municipal Law Enforcement General Complaint form or call 705-324-9411 ext. 1212.
Key Terms
Feral cats: means a cat that is found within the City of Kawartha Lakes that has no owner, lives exclusively outdoors, is not socialized, does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually is extremely fearful or resistant to human contact.
Stray cats: means a domestic cat that is found within the City of Kawartha Lakes who has been abandoned but is socialized to human contact; this may be similar to a feral cat.
Urban area: An urban area is defined as a lot located in a village, hamlet, town or subdivision that is less than 1 hectare (2.471 acres) in size.
