Sault considers licensing cats

Sault Ste. Marie cat owners will require an annual licence for each animal and will be limited to five kitties if a revised Animal Care and Control Bylaw passes City Council tonight.

"The population of cats within the city, which greatly exceeds the number of dogs, will require an annual licence similar to the current dog requirements," says Jeffrey King, city prosecutor/solicitor.

"This consideration is applied in other municipalities, such as Sudbury. This will help the [Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society] control the number of animals per household and ensure an additional revenue source to fund their activities," King says in a report to Mayor Provenzano and city councillors.

If approved tonight, the cat-licensing requirement won't take full effect until Jan. 1 and cat owners will be allowed until March 31 to procure the mandatory licenses.

The registration fee, applicable to both dogs and cats, will be $50 for each unsterilized animal, $20 for sterilized animals and $10 for sterilized dogs or cats with a microchip.

"It should further be noted that cats are always encouraged to reside indoors, but in the event they escape, having the mandatory licence will further assist the society with their retrieval," King says.

As part of a crackdown on unsanctioned breeders, the new bylaw will also impose a limit of three dogs and five cats per household.

"Phasing this in for households that have more than the allotted animals will be carefully monitored," King says. "Ultimately the goal will remain to protect animals that are poorly cared for."

Other changes proposed for adoption tonight:

• a current requirement for mandatory spaying or neutering will be eliminated because it's unlikely to withstand court scrutiny
• the Sault's dangerous dog committee will be revived. City officials had felt the provincial Dog Owners' Liability Act would render the city committee redundant, but local dogs have been held up to 18 months under provincial proceedings until a court decision was rendered. With a local dangerous dog committee in place, animals would be held for just 15 days with less stress to animals and owners
• dogs will be required to limit persistent barking episodes to 10 minutes, compared to 20 minutes now
• any person having care or control of animals running at large, attacking, biting or causing a nuisance will now be held responsible. In the past, only owners could be prosecuted, but unless owners registered their dogs or came forward to claim them, prosecuting them was impossible. This change will also assist in stoop-and-scoop prosecutions and ensuring dogs are properly controlled in off-leash areas
• the city will now be able to hold dogs known to be continuously at large until it's satisfied all necessary measures have been taking to keep them from escaping

The bylaw changes were developed in collaboration with the Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society, after complaints were received last year about dogs running at large in places including Bellevue Park, Hiawatha Park and the Hub Trail.

Tonight's City Council meeting will be livestreamed on SooToday starting at 4:30 p.m.