WESTLOCK – Town council deferred action on a proposed cat control bylaw during its regular meeting on Monday Feb. 10. Opting instead, members requested a more comprehensive responsible pet ownership bylaw to be drafted for future review.
The cat control bylaw aimed to address concerns over cats roaming at large in Westlock after multiple complaints were received by the town. Heeding the calls, council presented the original cat control bylaw draft during their meeting on Nov. 18, 2024. The conclusion at that stage was community feedback was needed before the regulation could be implemented—a critical step given the mixed bag of reactions it was met with.
From Dec. 9 to Jan. 28, residents were encouraged to share their opinions with council and have their voices heard. In this time, 11 people responded the town’s call— seven in favour and four against.
The regulation would have required that local cats be contained within their properties or face fines— a potential solution to mitigate the complaints. However, councillors raised questions about the practicalities of enforcing such a rule.
Simone Wiley, chief administrative officer for the town of Westlock, says the initial draft aimed “to balance the concerns of the community regarding cats at large, with the town’s ability and capacity to enforce it."
“The specific issue the bylaw was attempting to address is that of cats roaming,” Wiley says, adding that it would have also restricted town resident’s from owning or housing “excessive amounts of [stray or owned] cats who cause nuisance to neighbouring properties.”
If passed, it would have limited the number of cats on one property to a maximum of three.
However, the draft was not passed on Feb. 10, following the review of public feedback. Council members also then voiced their own concerns about the ability to enforce such a measure effectively. Wiley says, “Enforcement was a part of council’s concern in passing this type of bylaw, [as well as] the amount of time required to administer the program, starting with getting the community cat owners to register their cats.”
“Even with the bylaw not contemplating picking up cats, the time commitment to take residents’ complaints and match with a registered cat (in order to issue warnings or fines) would be significant,” she says.
Currently, a broader responsible pet ownership bylaw is in the beginning stages of being drafted and will outline guidelines, not only for cats, but for all pets.
For the most updated information, visit westlock.ca/p/bylaws-and-policies.
