A Selkirk woman who started a program to reduce the number of feral cats in her community says the city has threatened to fine her if she continues. Paige Krasulja loves cats, but she keeps finding more strays at the edge of her property. For weeks, she has been trying to help reduce the feral population, and she started the Selkirk Cat Collective. “Our foundation is based on trap, neuter, return which will help with the community cats,” Krasulja said Wednesday. Krasulja said strays are roaming everywhere in the city, and cats have been showing up on her street for more than a year. She is working with a Selkirk veterinarian to neuter the cats before trying to rehome them, though she knows that isn’t always possible. “Generally, the cats that I’m dealing with are truly feral cats and the best outcome for them is to go where they came from,” Krasulja said. Krasulja said she has helped more than 20 community cats since mid-September. People have phoned her to bring in strays from the street, even though she doesn’t consider herself a rescue. She said she has spoken with other jurisdictions that run trap-neuter-return programs. The approach has been working for now, but a City of Selkirk spokesperson said she could face a fine if she continues. “We want to have these cats back with their owner, back with their registered owner, so we’ll do everything we can to ensure that happens,” said Selkirk Mayor Larry Johannson. Johannson said it’s not a question of whether people care about cats. The city believes finding an animal a home is the top priority, even if an owner can’t be found. “We will keep that cat and work with reputable, charitable organizations, and we will work with them until we can get those cats housed,” Johannson said. A City of Selkirk spokesperson told CTV News that animals can be tattooed for identification only if they are tied to some form of ownership, in this case the citizen. Under the city’s responsible pet owner bylaw, an animal owner is defined as any person who owns, leases or occupies any premises containing the animal and is identified on the animal’s licence as the owner. The city says any animals released in Selkirk under a citizen’s ownership will be that citizen’s responsibility and subject to the same bylaw requirements as other residents. The city also says the provincial Animal Care Act requires a person who has ownership, possession or control of an animal to ensure it has adequate food and water, adequate medical attention and reasonable protection from injurious heat and cold. The spokesperson said releasing a cat into the wild is a failure to provide all of those things and could result in a fine under section 34 of the act. Under the act, someone convicted of a first offence could face a fine of up to $10,000, up to six months in jail, or both. Krasulja told CTV News she is working on becoming a registered charity and hopes that will allow her to keep helping the strays. In the meantime, she said she has connected with the Edmonton Humane Society to bring 15 kittens and a mother cat to Alberta in mid-November to help find them new homes.
