'A sad thing that happens': Town of Arborg dealing with increase in stray cats
A town in Manitoba's Interlake area is trying to find new homes for stray cats that were dumped in the community.
Cindy Stansell, the town's chief administrative officer, said the problems started a couple weeks ago when some residents in one neighbourhood brought forward concerns about an increase in the stray cat population.
"Typically, we do see it increase this time of year with the weather warming up," Stansell told CTV News, adding there does seem to be more of an increase this year.
She said the town's bylaw officer visited the area and counted at least 20 stray cats.
"These cats specifically, we believe, were stray cats that have just been unfortunately dumped in the community, which is a sad thing that happens," she said, adding in some cases, litters of farm cats end up roaming Arborg's streets.
"They don't want to keep all the cats and then, they unfortunately decide they want to dump it in the community."
To deal with the increase in strays, the town has issued a notice to residents that its bylaw officer will be trapping roaming cats. Those that are unclaimed will be re-homed.
The effort will continue until the town sees a noticeable difference.
Stansell said so far four cats have been brought in and will be staying with the bylaw officer until they find new homes. She said the town will not be putting any of the cats down unless it's required due to health reasons, but she said that would only happen on the recommendation of the town's veterinarian.
The stray cats that have been caught so far will be spayed or neutered before they find their new homes.
"In this case, the best situation is to make sure they are spayed and neutered so that you can at least contain the population," she said.
In the meanwhile, Stansell said the town is asking pet owners to be responsible and get their animals spayed or neutered.
"We're encouraging people not to dump their cat into our community," she said.
Residents interested in giving a home to one of these stray cats can call the Town Office at 204-376-2647. More information can be found on the Town of Arborg's website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.