Maple Ridge is considering making cat licences mandatory.

Council asked staff this week to find out how a licensing bylaw could be implemented in the district and what administrative costs would be incurred. The staff report will be brought back for discussion during business planning in December. No other municipality in the Lower Mainland has adopted a cat licensing bylaw.

Council’s decision comes in response to an e-mail received last month from an unhappy dog owner in Maple Ridge. The writer feels it’s unfair that only dog owners are required to pay an annual licensing fee.

“The district of Maple Ridge has knowingly discriminated against dog owners and continually forced us to pay increased fees to cover costs of other irresponsible pet owners,” says the email. “Each year we ask why we must pay when other pet owners are not held accountable by this municipality - yet they are using the services provided from funding that is supplied through dog licensing.”

The $25 licensing fee supports the enforcement of the animal control bylaw and the operation of the district-owned animal shelter run by the SPCA. Together they cost the district about $300,000 annually. This year, licensing fees are expected to generate about $280,000 in revenue.

SPCA shelter manager Mark Vosper supports the idea of cat licensing and believes it will help reduce the number of cats living in SPCA care. Cats are the primary shelter residents.

The SPCA recently drafted a model bylaw to help encourage communities to enforce cat licensing.

It’s similar to one Calgary adopted in 2006, which requires every person who owns or keeps a cat in the city to have a licence.

“We’ve found that [with licencing], there’s higher return rates to owners of straying cats,” Vosper said. “There’s a reduction in cat overpopulation ... and it makes people more accountable for their animals.”

However, enforcing a cat licensing bylaw is difficult as many stay indoors. Maple Ridge has never considered implementing one in the past, partly because cats are not causing problems for bylaw enforcement officers, said Brock McDonald, the district’s director of licences, permits and bylaws.

“We have lots of complaints about barking dogs and we have complaints about dogs at large,” he said. “Obviously there’s a safety factor involved when we’re talking about dogs. I suspect that’s the logic behind requesting licensing for dogs and perhaps not requesting it for cats at this time.”

However, Maple Ridge does have a spay/neuter bylaw in place. A cat owner faces fines if their pet is found off property, impounded and “unsterilized.”

Dog fees

Annual dog licensing fees:

(spayed/neutered)

• if paid before the end of January - $25;

• if paid after the end of January - $41;

(not spayed/neutered)

• if paid before the end of January - $52;

• if paid after the end of January - $68.