'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
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Mother's Day movies that pull at ALL the heartstrings
This Mother's Day Weekend, take a look at some of the most emotional movies inspired by moms.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."