Animal welfare should be greater public issue: CSL councillor

By Joel Goldenberg, August 15th, 2012

The protection of cats and other animals in the community can be an issue in the Quebec election campaign, says Côte St. Luc Councillor and cat lover Mike Cohen.
Cohen, who founded the Côte St. Luc Cats Committee and is its liaison to other communities, is organizing a benefit concert to support that committee's Trap, Neuter, Release and Adopt program, and the Educhat education program. The concert will be held 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21 at the Giovanni Palatucci Facility (the former Wagar High School), 5794 Parkhaven Ave. in Côte St. Luc. The concert will feature the Musicians of the World Orchestra, conducted by Joseph Milo, who will perform The Best of Broadway; including songs from the long-running Broadway show Cats. Soprano Jennifer Pyra will be giving a solo performance.
The Côte St. Luc Cat Committee focuses on the TNR (trap, neuter, release) program, which humanely traps, sterilizes and releases feral cats back into their habitat.
Cohen told The Suburban Thursday that D'Arcy McGee MNA Lawrence Bergman will be attending the concert, and the councillor is also contacting Coalition Avenir Québec and Parti Québécois representatives.
I will be making a proposal to Lawrence Bergman directly and to others during this election campaign. The Liberals did pass legislation last December that came into effect in June that toughened up some of the animal welfare bylaws, but we don't hear anything about Trap, Neuter, Release and the overpopulation of cats."
More locally, Cohen said a subcommittee of the Côte St. Luc Cats Committee has been working on a potential cat licensing bylaw. Dogs already require a license.
“This is for outdoor cats only - my own cat is an indoor cat,” the councillor explained. “I'm going to be bringing this to Côte St. Luc council - in caucus (behind closed doors) this week. We will then hopefully bring it to the public. I would love to see this passed before the fall. When our committee goes out and looks for cats [to trap, sterilize and release], we can't necessarily tell if a cat belongs to someone or is homeless. This bylaw will require if you have an outdoor cat, you get a license and it has to be put on a tag around the neck. Another part of the bylaw will be if you have a cat that's outdoors, it has to be neutered. We won't do that for indoor cats.”
Cohen also said the cats committee is going beyond Trap, Neuter, Release, to adoption as well. “We'll really try hard to find homes for the cats,” he explained. “Some are wild and there's no way they can be in a home. But we also found many kittens, and they're the most unbelievably adorable things in the world. It would be unthinkable for any of these kittens to be euthanized.”
Check out www.cotesaintluc.org/cats for more information.
Regarding the concert, Cohen said Côte St. Luc provides the cats committee with a $5,000 budget. “But we need more money, because it costs a lot for each cat we bring in, we have to buy equipment, and find shelter.”
“Tickets are $7 each (tax included) and can be purchased at the Eleanor London Côte Saint-Luc Public Library (5851 Cavendish Blvd.), the Côte Saint-Luc Aquatic and Community Centre (5794 Parkhaven Ave.), and the Côte Saint-Luc Hospital for Animals (7930 Baily Rd.),” says a city advisory. “Tickets can be purchased at the first two locations by credit and debit card or cash and cash only at the Animal Hospital.”n