Sick of Strays in Quebec?

[catsnatcher-CDN]

Most of us are from the Province of Quebec where we have a very evident problem with stray cats and abandoned dogs.

I'm so frustrated. I'm broke because of stray cats!! I work from home and look out my window 20 times a day to make sure they are ok! Every day I dread the possibility of finding a new stray pregnant! And as much as I've done, I haven't even put a small, tiny dent in this problem. Inverness just posted "100 kittens available"!!!

We post messages filled with frustration and bad reports but we all seem to know exactly what needs to be done to fix the problem.

I don't understand why as members of this forum, we can't do something about this.

We may disagree about no-kill shelters vs. other shelters; declawing vs. not declawing; indoor cats vs. outdoor pets; yearly vaccinations vs. specific vaccinations....but we do agree on some very fundemental issues. Shouldn't we stop complaining and try to incite change based on those issues that we all agree on?

We are headed into a situation very similar to Europe and South America where unneutered cats and dogs roam the streets freely and most people don't care.

This can only be fixed by changing laws. Rhode Island has now set a precedent that we can use to our benefit. If they can pass this law in Rhode Island, why not here? San Fransisco doesn't even have a problem with strays because sometime in the '90s they aggressively campaigned and got a TNR program in place.

Why aren't any of us joining forces to produce change?

[mafiaprincess]

Sidebar: I've never seen a stray anything in my life... We've had cats wander I've never seen, used the garden as a litterbox but not often..

Why is Quebec so rampant in cat overpopulation? People not spuetering, more people keeping them outside, more cat owners? I'm honestly curious.. Maybe I just live a little too sheltered in the middle of town though and it's why I only see skunks and a few rabbits.

[Frenchy]

I know catsnatcher but what could we do?They did organize a manifestation 2 weeks ago against a certain puppy mill.Only about 100 people showed up.I watch the news that evening,tried different tv stations and nothing.It would have to be big to make things change here in Québec.Politicians here are not the least bit worried about that problem.Mafiaprincess;I don't know if I should say this but,I was talking with the owner of a animal food store who told me it's because were french/catholics.He told me (and he is french) that catholic people are "fed" that we own everything and can do wathever to it.Including animals.Now,I'm not the one who said it,franctly I dislike anything that has to do with any religion.I grew up in Verdun,near Montreal,they use to sell kittens for $5.00 at petshops,so anybody could buy one,let them loose on the street,they would breed,and breed....Girls that I work with don't even go vote!!!So how can we get people to make a change??

[chico2]

Mafiaprincess,I wonder about why strays are soo rampant in Quebec too:sad:
I might live in a sheltered oblivious town,but very near to both Toronto and Hamilton and I know our HS is overloaded with cats,however I never see any strays( )the cats I see around here,I know whom they belong to..and believe me,I always check for strange cats or dogs.
Only once did I feed a feral Tom for a couple of years(George)one impossible to catch.
Toronto is probably a different story,where they even give cats away for free,to go out and produce more babies:sad:

[OntarioGreys]

I had heard Toronto had it share of problems with feral populations so checked on line

Since the Toronto Humane Society no longer holds the City of Toronto licence to house stray animals, the only publicly-funded option once a cat is caught is to take it to the nearest municipal pound, where it will be euthanized if not claimed after five working days.

The largest feral cat colony in TO is around the Skydome

And on Craiglist there is a cry for help for a feral population near the convention Center living where there is a new road planned, so they are trying to move the cats this was post last month

http://toronto.craigslist.org/vol/156369690.html

I am sure both these locations have large populations due to food waste that is thrown about by visitors attending events




I

[mummummum]

Please forgive the bad paraphrasing:

If not now then when?
If not here then where?
If not you then who?

You've said it yourself Catsnatcher - why not organize yourselves? Gather the rescues and the shelters and the local "cat ladies" (the good ones that is ). Start an "each one reach one" campaign to get people together - even if the group of you only meet on-line on msn - and start a lobby group. Get the local BIA's and neighbourhood associations on board. Get your $$$ figures straight. How much does it cost the City to capture, house and euthanize the strays? What is the negative impact to neighbourhoods and businesses caused by feral cats - both $$ and perception? Remember community organizing rule 1 :Everyone gets a job and she with the best skills for the job gets HELP. Maintain a core group of people who are able to put their ego's and quirks aside for "the cause". While BIA's and Neighbourhood Assoc's can have alot of pull with your local politico's, you also need to find a "face" to champion your cause - to get guaranteed media attention. Community organizing is exhilarating and exhausting all in one breath but at the end of the day...YOU'VE DONE IT!! I think it's a wonderful campaign and that there should be more people on the planet who are as passionate about animals as are you Catsnatcher.

[Prin]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

I was talking with the owner of a animal food store who told me it's because were french/catholics.He told me (and he is french) that catholic people are "fed" that we own everything and can do wathever to it.Including animals.Now,I'm not the one who said it,franctly I dislike anything that has to do with any religion.

The version I heard from a French vet was that because of the traditional French family being dozens of kids, not much money was left for the animals, so they always had a lower priority. English Canadians, who historically supposedly had more money and less kids, had the extra money to pay for their animals and thus passed on a different value of pets to future generations... The only way religion fits in is in the dozens of kids, if you know what I mean...

[chico2]

Some people I have dealt with catholic or not,but from certain parts of southern Europe have the attitude"Heck,it's an animal,why would I spend money on IT,if it dies it dies"and that attitude will never change,hopefully the next generation see it differently.
Feel free to jump down my throat,but that's the experience I've had,trying to get some people to see the light.

[dragon_queen]

My bro lives in NDG an he says there are a lot of strays near his house. His cat is one of the kittens from last year that he just took from the bunch. She was sick and had an absess on her side( she's now healthy and has been fixed). He is always asking me if I know anyone who wants a kitten. sadly there are more this year.:sad:

[Lucky Rescue]

How much does it cost the City to capture, house and euthanize the strays? What is the negative impact to neighbourhoods and businesses caused by feral cats - both $$ and perception?

In QC, feral and stray cats are on par with rats and cockroaches to most of the population. No one cares at all about them, until they start spraying and hanging around someone's back yard.

Capture, housing, s/n and release or euthanizing cost the city NOTHING, since it is done ONLY by private rescues. The angle about how it looks for a city or town to be overrun with feral cats has been tried here in this town. The mayor has been pleaded with to provide at least some funds for US to trap and s/n the cats, to no avail, other than a ridiculous $1000 given two years ago.

When people call City Hall to complain about feral and stray cats on their property, the city directs them to call us!!

[Prin]

I was looking for jobs and one in Laval is "animal control", involving the removal of stray dogs, cats and roadkill for $8/hr... How much pride do you think that employee will have at $8/hr?