My property is not a potty for the neighbourhood cat(s).

That’s the message Orangeville resident Monika Nelson has delivered to council, urging politicians to address the need for some level of regulation regarding domestic cats in town.

“My front yard this year is just covered by poo and pee. It is on a daily basis — multiple times a day. This is not right,” Nelson told council at its last meeting earlier this month.

“If you own an animal — a cat, dog, crocodile or whatever it is, it is your responsibility,” she added. “People would like to enjoy their yards. They would like to enjoy their own property and we cannot.”

For several months, Monika Nelson says her family has been dealing with a cat urine and defecation problem in both the front and backyard of their property, located near the Orangeville Mall.

She says there is one cat that routinely visits their property to “do its business.” Other cats visit occasionally, but Nelson is tired of having to clean up the mess left behind.

“When it is my front yard, my main door is a toilet, I’m having an issue with this,” Nelson said, claiming the cat has ruined flowers and vegetables in her garden, along with being responsible for a gruesome discovery of feces near her basement window following the spring thaw.

Nelson says she has tried using different types of cat repellent and speaking to the animal’s owners. She has discovered there are no rules for cats in town.

Although there is a canine bylaw in place, the Town of Orangeville does not currently have any regulations regarding domestic cat ownership.

Town staff have been requested to investigate adding felines to the town’s animal control bylaw at least twice within the last 10 years, but nothing has ever come from it.

“I have heard this issue from other citizens. I understand other municipalities either have a program or are looking into programs,” said Councillor Grant Peters.

“I’m not prepared to ask staff to do it at the moment given the current workload and number of issues that are piling up,” he added. “But I wouldn’t mind seeing this concept brought to the table at some point.”

Municipalities such as Toronto, Ottawa and Guelph have incorporated rules for cat owners to follow within their animal control bylaws. In fact, in May 2018 Cornwall even contemplated a bylaw that would require all domestic cats be kept indoors unless supervised or on a leash.

Nelson was surprised when she used Google to learn how toxoplasma and various parasites can be transmitted by cats. She worries for her young child, who can’t play freely in her backyard without a watchful adult eye nearby.

“I’d like to have some regulation and to be safe and free in my backyard. I believe I’m not the only one here in Orangeville,” Nelson said. “I absolutely understand how difficult it may be for our town to introduce this law and enforce this.”

The estimated costs for enforcement have scared previous councils away from adding cats to the town’s animal control bylaw in the past. For instance, town staff estimated it could cost up to $178,000 to provide the same level of service as canine control in 2011.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Given town staff are currently looking at several “different bylaw issues,” Mayor Sandy Brown requested Nelson to be patient. While council didn’t formally direct staff to investigate the matter any further at its meeting, Brown acknowledged the need for further exploration.

“We’re on board with your complaint. We understand it. You’ve described that we ought to see happening. We need to correct and figure out how to do it,” Brown told Nelson. “We will remember it and it will be looked after.”