A group of cats that claim territory on one Stewiacke property gather for their evening meal.

STEWIACKE: One Stewiacke resident could be saying goodbye to her furry friends if the town decides to impose a bylaw limiting the number of pets per household.

The resident in question asked not to be named, but is known in the area as ‘the cat lady’. She claims to feed almost 20 cats that live on her property. She said she received two letters from the town years ago due to neighbour complaints, but no measures were taken to remove the cats from her property. On July 16, council discussed introducing a three cat per household limit.

“I’d gladly give some of them away if anyone wanted a kitten,” she said, “but nobody does. I guess there are enough kittens in the world and it doesn’t seem right to send them to the vet to be euthanized, but I wouldn’t see them go hungry.”

At around six o’clock on a summer evening at her home on a Stewiacke side road, five full-grown, ratty-haired cats and six kittens hovered around her screen door waiting for their next meal. A large dish was filled with fresh water and another with a heaping mound of dry cat food, which the animals devoured.

Aside from a large, grassy lawn, the cat lady has neighbours on close proximity on either side.

“With no bylaw in place right now,” said Mayor Derreck Rhoddy, “It’s up to neighbours to deal with a situation themselves, and that’s not fair.”

Town council revisited the long standing issue of limiting the number of pets per household in reaction to a complaint received from a resident who’s fed up with roaming cats invading her garden.

“On behalf of the citizen, I can sympathize,” said Councillor Tracy Werenka. “She takes care of her property. She puts her cats out on a leash. But if we say, ‘We’re only going to allow three cats,’ who’s going to enforce it?”

While council sees a need for a potential three-cat limit, they’re not sure a bylaw will make the situation any better.

“This issue has been discussed many times,” said CAO Sheldon Dorey, “sometimes at council, sometimes at bylaw committee. We do live in a country environment, and it’s normal to have cats all over the place, so it’s very hard to control. It would be like any other bylaw we have right now that’s complaint driven.”

Council discussed HRM’s bylaw of a three-cat limit, but acknowledged the law would be difficult to enforce. Currently HRM offers a list of suggestions for homeowners to deter outdoors cats. Of these, planting repellent plants, keeping the ground moistened, and talking to their neighbours about their cats are a few tips.

“HRM lets the responsibility fall on the neighbours,” said Dorey. “They’re telling people to take steps themselves, and pay money out of their own pockets.”

The cat lady said she has thought about spaying and neutering her colony of felines.

“That’s about as far as I got,” she said. “That’s an expensive proposition. One of these days, I will have to hand them over to someone else.”

Before bringing the issue to the bylaw committee, Rhoddy said council will explore what other municipalities are doing.

“It’s a sensitive topic,” he said. “We realize the situation and don’t wish it upon anybody, but hope there’s something we can come up with that can help both sides.”

acano@enfieldweeklypress.com