The Town of Hanna does not currently have a cat bylaw or legislation pertaining to the care and control of cats. It is the owners’ responsibility to ensure their animal is safe and properly cared for.
Keeping Kitty Safe and The Neighbors Happy
Municipal Enforcement cannot assist with locating a missing cat. However, the Town Office receives many calls concerning cats in neighboring yards or an owner missing a cat. It is important for cat owners to know their responsibility and how to keep their kitty safe and at home.
As a cat owner, your cat depends wholly upon you for its care and your neighbors count on you to be a responsible pet owner. You can keep your cat and your neighbors happy by doing the following things:
- Vaccinate: If your cat should get outdoors, ensure its vaccinations are up to date to protect your own cat and prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
- Spay or Neuter: Spaying and neutering can prevent unwanted cats, can improve your cat’s health and a neutered male cat is less likely to spray and roam.
- Keep Kitty Indoors: There is a common myth that a cat needs to go outdoors to be happy. In fact, an indoor cat generally lives a longer, healthier life than one allowed to roam freely.
Lost Cats
If you have lost your cat (or other pet) we recommend you contact the Hanna SPCA to notify them in case one is turned in. Hanna & Area Bulletin Board on Facebook can alert others that you are searching for your lost pet. You can also contact the Town Office as they pick up deceased cats on public property.
Stray Cats
If you have found a lost pet, you should first, ask your neighbors if they have lost a pet. If you are still experiencing difficulty with stray cats in your yard, you could try:
- Placing pinecones or citrus peels in your garden.
- Placing coffee grounds and/or eggshells in your flower beds. Cats dislike them and they make great fertilizer.
- Putting cayenne pepper in your flower beds.
- Planting strongly scented plants such as geraniums, lavender, garlic, or lemon thyme which cats dislike.
- Use a motion-activated sprinkler.
- Lay chicken wire in your flower beds as cats dislike walking on wire.
- Borrow or purchase a cat trap and humanely impound the pet. If you choose to trap the animal, you must not leave it in adverse conditions. First, check with your neighbors to see if the trapped cat is a family pet; second, try to find a new home; and finally, you could try contacting the SPCA to request assistance with re-homing the animal while you foster the pet.