New Article- DRESCHEL: Killing rats and licensing cats Coun. Merulla’s motion is about reducing feline euthanasia rates CATS Scott Gardner,Hamilton Spectator Sam Merulla wants to use captured feral cats in the city's growing battle against rat infestations. Hamilton Spectator By Andrew Dreschel SEE MOREarticles from this author Talk about calling in the SWAT team. The ever resourceful Coun. Sam Merulla wants to enlist captured feral cats in the city's growing battle against swarms of rats. Merulla's idea is to expand the local SPCA's program of trapping, neutering and returning stray cats to the street by strategically placing feral colonies in rodential hot spots. "If you have an abundance of cats in those areas, those mice and rats are dealt with quite efficiently," he says. Last year, the SPCA's trap-neuter-return (TNR) program treated 355 cats deemed unsuitable for adoption. So far this year, 34 cats have also become program alumni. Widely-practised across North America, TNR is a humane way of managing fast-breeding wild cat populations and reducing euthanasia rates. But Merulla, a member of the SPCA's board of directors, wants it ramped up and run by the city's animal control services in partnership with the SPCA. The idea came to him when the public health department recently identified rat infestations as an emerging priority and service demand during its budget presentation to council. According to Merulla, it feeds into the motion he's bringing to Wednesday's council meeting for a study on licensing cats to promote responsible pet ownership, control overpopulation, and shave big dollars off the tax levy. Currently, dogs in Hamilton require licensing but not cats. If they were, Merulla says the revenue could be used to grow TNR and other programs aimed at reducing euthanasia as much a humanly possible. "The No.1 objective and purpose of all this is to hit the same target as Calgary and become one of the lowest kill-rate cities on the entire continent." The Hamilton-Burlington SPCA does not kill cats or dogs. That's done by city-operated Animal Services, where both intake and death rates for cats is vastly higher than for dogs. Last year, the city took in 2,835 cats, of which 2,474 were strays. It killed 641. Of those, 476 were put to sleep for health reasons and 156 because of "temperament." By contrast, 119 dogs were put down. Like other humane societies, the local SPCA does have an alternative placement program to stave off euthanasia. Called "barn buddies," the program places unsocial or difficult cats in barns or warehouses where, in exchange for bunk and board, they act as natural pest controllers. The SPCA, which is keen to grow the program, says 19 cats were placed last year and four so far in 2015. That differs, of course, from Merulla's proposal for strategically parachuting TNR cats into urban areas where rats are on the prowl because of construction and infrastructure upheaval. As far as he knows, it's never been done before. Perhaps not, but a program in Chicago has some similarities. The Tree House Humane Society ups the TNR concept with its "cats at work" program which, at the request of homeowners, places feral cats in backyards with the aim of combating rodents. Executive director Dave deFuniak says the program, which stated in 2011, has generated steady requests but does require a commitment to provide outdoor shelter, food, water and care for the cat. The intention isn't to domesticate, but a bond of some kind helps. According to deFuniak, re-locating a feral cat also necessitates keeping it in a crate or container for a few weeks so it can accept its new territory. He notes the cats are as or more effective than rat traps, but they don't eradicate the problem by hunting. "It's really more that they act as a deterrent." Whether Merulla's beefed up TNR program gains legs or not, his push to license cats should. In the past, council has knuckled under to public pressure against the idea, but in the name of reducing euthanasia rates and fairness to dog owners, they need to stop pussyfooting around. Andrew Dreschel’s commentary appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. adreschel@thespec.com 905-526-3495 @AndrewDreschel

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Friday, February, 27, 2015 - 12:12:42 PM

File photo

Is cat licensing the solution to the city's cat overpopulation?

Merulla hopes to find purrfect solution to Hamilton’s cat overpopulation

By Kevin Werner, News Staff

Hamilton councillor Sam Merulla says he has the purrfect solution to the city’s cat problem: licences.

The veteran councillor is proposing to introduce a motion asking city staff to examine the idea of establishing a cat licensing program. If politicians agree to the motion, it will be the third time in as many councils that the contentious issue of licensing cats has been debated.

Back in 2006, city bylaw staff was proposing to impose a cat licence with varying levels of fees. If a cat had been spayed, neutered and microchipped, the owner would pay $10 per year; an owner with a cat that was only microchipped would pay $25 per year for a licence; and a cat that didn’t have anything, the owner would be charged $50 per year. Residents in the rural areas would be exempt from the program. The idea was rejected, but a licence program for dogs was introduced. Councillors representing rural areas objected to the idea, saying it was nothing more than a cash grab by the city.

In 2011 the city introduced a new animal control bylaw that merged all the separate former suburban municipalities’ bylaws together. Part of the bylaw was to control roaming cats. The comprehensive bylaw was approved in 2012, which also included licensing pot bellied pigs.

The pressure on Hamilton Animal Services to reduce the number of felines it euthanizes continues to build since the bylaw went into effect a few years ago.

In 2005, about 4,000 cats were euthanized. Hamilton Rescue Cats, a local advocacy group, says 641 cats were euthanized in 2014 by animal services.

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Paige Robichaud sent this photo of her cat Sapphire to the CBC. In Hamilton, Coun. Sam Merulla wants Hamilton Animal Services to start adopting out cats. (Paige Robichaud )

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Local animal lovers are keeping their fingers crossed this week as a Hamilton councillor takes another stab at getting an animal shelter to adopt out potential pets.

Coun. Sam Merulla will float a motion asking Hamilton Animal Services (HAS), the municipal service that deals with lost or stray animals, to set up a system to adopt out the animals. He wants it to work with the Hamilton-Burlington SPCA.

Currently, HAS doesn’t adopt out animals, nor does it allow volunteers to socialize with the animals to keep them adoption-ready. At its height, HAS euthanized as many as 4,000 unwanted cats per year.

In 2014, HAS euthanized 641 cats, while 671 were pulled by Hamilton-Burlington SPCA and 1,365 by other local volunteer rescues.

Should Hamilton set up a system to adopt out cats?

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Adopting them out is not a new idea. HAS is already working on a plan to come to city council in 2015 to allow outside adoptions and volunteers.

• Hamilton animal services wants to kill fewer cats
• City has a 'prehistoric' way of dealing with animals: Merulla

“We realize we need to make some changes,” Paola Pianegonda, manager of animal services, told CBC Hamilton last year.

Local animal lovers have been pushing for about 11 years to see an adoption program happen. From protests to letter-writing campaigns, “there are a lot of people behind the scenes who have worked their tails off,” said Jill McKerrow Collins, who runs a Facebook pushing for adoptions.

“I really, at this point, don’t care where the credit goes as long as it’s done,” she said.

This is Merulla’s second animal-related motion in six months.

In September, he asked PetSmart Charities of Canada for help to adopt out HAS animals and to set up a mobile low-cost spay and neuter program.

If it passes, staff will report back to the city planning committee on the feasibility of a partnership.

Here’s what else is on council’s agenda:

• The Juno Awards are March 13 to 15 in Hamilton, and a number of bars and venues want to extend the hours they serve alcohol until 4 a.m. Coun. Jason Farr will ask the city to grant permission for three more venues — Homewood Suites by Hilton and the Hess Village bars Konoba and Sizzle & Koi to serve until 4 a.m. too. More than a dozen places already have permission, including the Casbah and This Ain’t Hollywood.
• Council will ratify a planning decision to allow a zoning amendment for Francois and Nicole Risdon’s cat kennel on Millgrove Side Road. The Risdons spent about $10,000 for the amendment because the city defines a kennel as containing dogs, not cats.
• Council will ratify a decision to write to the federal government asking to suspend Canada Post’s plan to eliminate door-to-door service. It will also ratify a vote to incorporate the mailboxes into an existing bylaw that governs the installation of road-side infrastructure.

This petition will be going to help the animals in the Hamilton Animal Services which in our community still a KILL SHELTER we need to give these animals a voice to show they deserve better and we as ANIMAL LOVERS will not tolerate this any more. Sign and Share and say NO to the Killing of innocent animals.

WE THE PEOPLE CARE

GOOD NEWS: UPDATE " Let's keep this going we are getting somewhere" :)

This is one Article in the Hamilton Spectator - Article #1

City-SPCA partnership could reduce euthanasia KITTEN Hamilton Spectator file photo Coun. Sam Merulla wants to expand the SPCA’s adoption capabilities and as a result, eliminate the city’s need to kill abandoned and stray cats and dogs. Hamilton Spectator By Carmela Fragomeni A Hamilton councillor wants the city to get involved in pet adoptions by partnering with the Hamilton Burlington SPCA, if it's feasible. The aim of Coun. Sam Merulla's proposal is to expand the SPCA's adoption capabilities, thus eliminating the need to kill abandoned and stray cats and dogs that the SPCA or rescue groups can't take in because they are full. The existing practice is that healthy stray or abandoned animals that end up at the city's Animal Control are given to the SPCA or any animal rescue groups able to take them to adopt out. In an SPCA partnership, "we would purchase vet services from them and we would provide more space for the adoption process," Merulla said. Animal Control and the SPCA share the same building on Dartnall Road, and the SPCA — a non-profit animal welfare organization — gets most of its animals from Animal Control. When the SPCA and rescue groups are at capacity, those remaining at Animal Control are euthanized. Hamilton's Animal Control is reporting a drop in its kill rate of 76 per cent since 2005 — through measures such as using social media to push responsible pet ownership or to announce upcoming euthanizing dates, which entices morepeople to adopt. In 2014, the city euthanized 120 dogs and 641 cats. Merulla's goal is to eliminate euthanasia entirely, except in cases where animals are mals too ill or injured to survive. "We have a kill rate higher than any other municipality … (and it) is unacceptable." The partnership costs would be negligible because a vacant city building in Stoney Creek can provide the space for additional adoptions, he said. His notice of motion to city council on Wednesday asks it to direct staff to "assess the feasibility of establishing a City Animal Adoption Service." SPCA board chair Margaret Strecker tentatively supports the idea and doesn't consider it a duplication of services. "It's not like there's a lack of animals to adopt, especially cats," she said/ Strecker said that Hamilton is having another cat crisis because of an overabundance of strays. cfragomeni@thespec.com 905-526-3392 | @CarmatTheSpec

Hamilton Animal Services - We can make a difference - PLEASE SIGN
PLEASE HELP US HELP THEM --"We don’t want to live here/or die here"


Hamilton City Council: Allow public adoption and volunteers within Hamilton Animal Services (Ontario)

We, the citizens of the city of Hamilton and surrounding area, petition Hamilton City Council to allow Hamilton Animal Services to implement public adoption and the use of volunteers within the shelter immediately.
980 cats alone were destroyed in 2013. We find this unacceptable.
Public adoption will allow these animals to find permanent homes and stop the needless killing of so many innocent, lost and abandoned animals.
Volunteers can be used to provide enrichment for the animals during their stay in the shelter. (we understand that under no circumstance will a volunteer do the work of a union paid employee).
Rescues are at their max constantly and while they are doing all they can, they need the city's help.
The need for low cost spay and neuter clinics would help reduce the number of cats in the shelter and would keep the population of Hamilton Street cats under control.