A local cat shelter and an environmental group teamed up to ask 91Ô­´´ Township to bring in stricter rules to reduce the number of feral and free-roaming cats in the community.

Ariadne Boutsakis of the Stewardship Centre for B.C. and Tara White, with 91Ô­´´'s CARES cat shelter, told the council that local bylaws can help cat welfare, as well as reducing the number of small birds killed by cats every years.

Boutaskis put the issue in context – there are an estimated 5.4 to 9.6 million free roaming cats in Canada, of which one to four million are completely feral.

Between 100 and 350 million birds are estimated as being killed by cats every years.

White had a local perspective, having spent years rescuing abandoned or semi-feral cats, as well as dealing with pet hoarding situations.

"I've been trapping cats for three years on 91Ô­´´ properties," White said, noting she has assisted the BC SPCA with two local animal hoarding sites. 

"These situations are overwhelming and heartbreaking," she said.

The cats she deals with are often neglected, sick, and fearful of human contact, she said, and it takes a great deal of time and vet care to get them to the point where they can be adopted.

She estimated there are 20-30,000 free roaming cats in 91Ô­´´ alone.

They asked the Township council for a bylaw requiring spaying and neutering of cats.

"A single female can have up to three litters a year," White noted.

Spaying and neutering, backed up with a possible fine, would help reduce the number of feral and hoarded cats.

Boutsakis also asked the council to sign a letter of support on the cat-roaming issue, and to implement education and outreach for Township residents on the free-roaming issue.

They noted that the City of Delta already has bylaws in place that could be used as a template.

Councillors had a number of questions about the scale of the problem, with Councillor Kim Richter asking if abandoned animals were a part of the problem.

"I do think there's a lot of animals abandoned," White said.

Coun. Tim Baillie said he was keenly aware of the issue of animal hoarding. A retired firefighter, he said he was the fire captain at a house fire where more than 50 out of 64 cats in the home died, as well as their owner.

Mayor Eric Woodward said the council would follow up on the issue.

Boutsakis and White said they also planned to make the same presentation to 91Ô­´´ City in November.