Editor:
Whereas I can see the concern of Davita Baker that her neighbours did not complain directly to her about her cat on their property (Coast Reporter letters, March 29), one has to remember that cat ownership is not always identifiable.
We have at least four cats that regularly invade our property in search of "our precious birds." We cannot be sure whether these cats are tame or feral, but they are a nuisance and we do our best to chase them away, when we see them.
A good many areas in the world are slowly recognizing the fact that the bird populations are declining rapidly, not only because of land development but also because of the increase in numbers of uncontrolled cats.
In New Zealand, 28 per cent of households have one cat and a further 20 per cent have two or more cats, none of them licensed. They are blamed for the demise of at least nine native species of birds and the endangerment of a further 33 per cent of species, cats not being natural inhabitants of the islands.
In Canada there are many municipalities reviewing the possibility of cat bylaws, to parallel those of dog bylaws, and in B.C more and more municipalities are adopting such a bylaw, recommending licensing, neutering and restraining cats from roaming at large outdoors. My letter to Sechelt council on July 8, 2011 on this topic was treated with disdain.
Yes, our birds are "precious," we have multiple feeders and keep a watch on the various species, as do many other bird lovers on the Coast, so please restrain your cats from roaming freely onto other people's properties.
Ralph Meyer, Sechelt
