British Columbia
Academics discover polarized viewpoints on domestic cats that leave their backyards
Posted: 43 Minutes Ago
The fur is flying over free-roaming house cats in Prince George, B.C, according to a study carried out by university scientists that discovered polarized positions about felines on the prowl.
Researchers with the University of Northern British Columbia surveyed almost 1,500 individuals in Prince George about their understandings towards an unknown and hardly ever enforced city law that restricts the owners of all animals, consisting of domestic cats, from letting them stroll beyond their yard unless under control on a leash.
“It’s a concern that raises a great deal of anger and hostility in some individuals,” said Annie Booth, a teacher in ecological and sustainability research studies at the University of Northern British Columbia.
“There’s a genuine hate on for cats.”
The research study discovered little commonalities.
Most cat owners argued their animals require to hang out outside for their physical and psychological health. Many of those who didn’t own cats believed they were a “problem and a bug,” grumbling about cats urinating in gardens, hunting at bird feeders, scratching outdoor patio furnishings and developing an “terrible stink” by spraying, said Booth.
Booth said lots of participants reported “personal efforts” to deal with the problem, from trapping and disposing cats to purposeful killings. There were tips that all free-roaming cats ought to be euthanized.
“In my area, other locations in the city, we understand there are a great deal of individuals stating, ‘My cat has actually vanished and not return,'” Booth said. “Some of it might be since your neighbour is trapping them and disposing them.”
Booth said there are a number of recognized cat disposing websites outside the city limitations.
“We had a great deal of qualitative details and individuals were recommending violence towards free-roaming cats,” she said.
Booth said some cat owners reported that neighbours had actually threatened, hurt or killed their cat.
Booth said there’s no agreement on whether there ought to be obligatory licensing of cats or active enforcement of the law.
Any prepares to present fines or intensify law enforcement ought to be presented slowly, she said.
She said any option will need a community-wide method that consists of higher access to low-cost spay and sterilize centers.
Other towns, such as Richmond and Nanaimo, have actually come to grips with the problem of free-roaming cats. Victoria says cats need to be on a leash in public locations.
Research pointed out by Booth says there have to do with 8 million domestic cats in Canada, with more than a 3rd of Canadian families owning a minimum of one cat.
The paper, “The Law and the Pussycat: Public Perceptions of the Use of Municipal Bylaws to Control Free-Roaming Domestic Cats in Canada,” was co-authored by Booth and UNBC Professor Ken Otter co-authored and released in the peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science in October 2022.
