The Town of Drumheller this month began periodic trapping of cats in the downtown core in response to complaints.
The Town of Drumheller made mention to the program on its Facebook page on December 4.
“There are some businesses that have cats hanging around,” said community enforcement supervisor Greg Peters.
He said so far they have trapped one feral cat and it was relocated to a rural residence to live as a barn cat.
He said they are placing the traps only during the day so if an animal is caught it is not exposed excessively to the elements.
He said while feral cats can be a problem, not all the felines hanging around downtown are wild.
“Some of them are really friendly and well fed, these are domestic cats,” he said adding that in one instance a cat was so “well fed” it couldn’t fit into the trap.
“So keeping with the new Responsible Pet Owner Bylaw draft I am completing we want to stress to people to keep cats at home,” said Peters. “I know cats want to go outside, but there are a lot of well-fed friendly cats just walking our streets.”
He understands it is a controversial subject and recognizes the usefulness of feral cars with pest control, and often at night he would see them catching mice. But he also understands they can be nuisance. Keeping cats at home is also the best way to keep cats safe.
Peters says if any residents have questions or feedback to feel free to contact community enforcement at 403-823-1363.
