With reference to the article in the Gazette of Aug. 28 ("Meet the guardian angels of St. Albert cats"), I'd like to bring my view to the readers. I read the story of the two very compassionate ladies who do everything possible to help "feral" cats make it through our Alberta winters. That is nice, but ... why are those cats on the loose in the first place?
To start with, they are/were pets. If somebody likes to have a cat as a pet, they should also have the responsibility to treat it as such. Not by opening the door in the evening and let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. That's part ot the problem. There is nothing wrong with having a cat as a pet, or a rabbit, or chickens (for which you now have to go through a rigorous set of rules to get a permit), or a dog, also with a license.
The issue I have with the "outdoor" cats is manyfold:
• They defecate in MY vegetable garden plot. Food I like to eat. Thank you very much, cat owner.
• They spray their urine against MY entrance doors. Not nice to have to clean in the winter. I have to invent nasty spiky devices to discourage this. It works as long as I remember that when I get the Gazette out of the mailbox.
• I enjoy looking at and feeding birds but the cats catch on to this very quickly, not to mention the kills they make (that is the nature of the beast) and they crouch under the feeders and even climb on top of them. So, again, I have to come up with means to discourage them from doing this.
Personally, I have nothing against cats – but please keep them inside. It is much better for the cat, anyway. I welcome the coyotes in my neighbourhood. They keep the population a little under control while traffic on the roads also takes a toll.
To finish this, cats should be licenced. Perhaps the money factor is a deterring factor NOT to have one. Why did I have to buy a yearly licence when I had my dogs? Perhaps the City of St.Albert should do something about it. I hope!
Ludo Bogaert, St. Albert
