THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay and District Humane Society is stepping in to help the city deal with its stray cat population.
Starting either next week or the week after, the society will accept stray cats that are picked up within the city limits, not just outside the city.
An announcement will be made when the launch date is set.
Members of the public will have to phone ahead to book an appointment to bring an animal to the Rosslyn Road shelter.
The arrangement was reached with Thunder Bay Animal Services on Thursday, and will be in place for one month on a trial basis.
This should lighten the load on cat rescue organizations that have recently complained about Animal Services not taking in stray and abandoned cats.
That restriction started in March, when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, and the city reduced many of its operations to essential services only.
Caring Hearts Cat Rescue and Kitty Kare Feline Rescue have both publicly criticized the city for not taking cats at the city pound unless they are sick or injured.
Calling it an unacceptable practice, the rescue groups said the policy would leave lost and abandoned cats and kittens "to struggle to survive this winter."
"Cats, just like dogs, are living creatures which make a positive difference in the lives of adopters," Kitty Kare said in a statement this week.
Caring Hearts said it's unfair that the responsibility for looking after cats has fallen on the shoulders of local rescues.
"Animal Services' mandate is to provide shelter, feeding and care for stray and homeless pets. The facility is funded by taxpayer dollars," the group said.
Doug Vincent, manager of licensing and enforcement for the city, defended the city's stance in an interview Thursday.
He said the animal services centre on Alloy Place is operating with only a skeletal staff due to COVID-19 restrictions, and it's uncertain when staffing will be back to normal.
Vincent said that means the centre must focus on its core mandate, which is to enforce the animal control bylaws that ensure responsible pet ownership, and to keep the public safe.
"Although we care for our animals, animal welfare is not our primary objective, like it is for a lot of organizations out there. It's people welfare. And a lot of that has to do with dogs running at large, vicious dogs," he said.
Vincent explained that the bylaws require the city to operate a pound, which under the province's Pounds Act has the responsibility for caring for animals that are impounded.
This week, there were 21 cats in the city facility, which he said is about as many as can be handled with current staffing.
Vincent said staff try their best through their personal connections to find homes for the animals that aren't claimed, while still minimizing contact with the public.
"If our shelter goes down, there is no other pound. We'd struggle to house animals from a vicious dog attack. It would really impact our ability to provide that service," Vincent said, adding "We're not ready to reopen."
Shawna Beaulieu, executive director of the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society, said the Rosslyn Road shelter currently has 77 cats and dogs in its care but only 32 in the building. The rest are in foster care.
Beaulieu said there's room in the shelter for more, but she hopes the decision to start taking in strays from within the city limits won't impede the society's regular services, taking in surrendered animals – which make up most of those in its care – or its commitments to other partners.
"That's why we decided on a one-month trial. We don't want to over-commit ourselves," she said.
Beaulieu added that the society is nonetheless "quite confident" it can handle the additional workload.
She said the organization had been considering reaching out to the city for some time, knowing that Animal Services didn't have the flexibility to continue taking in cats.
Under the interim arrangement with the city, the humane society will maintain its policy of not accepting feral cats or cats in live traps.
