Skip to content

City has issued 1,080 cat licences in last two months

Cat licences were voluntary in 2017 but became mandatory starting Jan. 1
CatSized
File photo

People in Guelph seem to be buying into the idea of licencing their cats.

Since the city wrapped up its information and awareness campaign for mandatory cat licences in mid-November it has issued a total of 1,080 licences.

Of those, 417 were since Jan. 1, said Doug Godfrey, the city's Manager of Operations.

The city passed a bylaw requiring cats to be licenced at the end of 2016. They were voluntary for 2017 and became mandatory beginning in 2018.

The city issued a total of 254 licences under the voluntary program. All licences are valid for 365 days from the date purchased.

By comparison, the city issued 4,483 dog licences in 2017 and 3,752 in 2016. So far in 2018, 903 dog licences have been issued.

Licences can be purchased at the Guelph Humane Society, City Hall or online. A $25 cat licence gets pet owners a $25 gift voucher to Ren's Pets Depot.

The licences are aimed at increasing awareness and as a means of making sure more cats brought in to the humane society are returned to their owners.They also help cover the costs of dealing with the cats at the GHS. Last year there were over 800 cats brought in to the humane society, with only 19 per cent returned to their owners.

Since 2014 the city has used Kingston-based DocuPet to administer its pet licencing program, paying them an administration fee for each licence processed, Godfrey said.

DocuPet estimates there are an estimated 32,000 cats in Guelph.


Comments

Verified reader

If you would like to apply to become a verified commenter, please fill out this form.




Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
Read more