The Town of Cochrane will hold an open house on Jan. 10 to give residents the opportunity to review and comment on proposed amendments to the animal bylaw.
The session will run from 4-7 p.m. at the RancheHouse and will address the first changes the bylaw has seen since 2005.
One of the more significant amendments would be the introduction of cat licensing; a move administration believes will increase the chances of a lost cat being returned to its rightful owner, something that has proven to be a challenge for bylaw officials with the absence of a cat licensing program within the municipality.
As a comparison, dogs, which require a licence, have nearly a 95 per cent return rate when they are impounded, while cat owners see their pets returned 32 per cent of the time.
The cost to license a cat will range from $15 (altered, or ‘fixed’) to $40 (unaltered).
To ease cat owners into the new licensing program, the town will offer the first year free of charge.
Other adjustments to the animal bylaw include more options for peace officers when it comes to unattended animals, security from threatening behavior, nuisance animals and the ability to remove animals from off-leash areas should the animal’s behavior warrant such action.
