Well, we finally fly over 5 weeks on Tuesday, we don't feel remotely organized but i'm sure it's all good really!

We have been under the impression from the start that cats are not allowed to roam free. This is something we read in the Red Deer Bylaws and have been working around this ever since.

However, we have sorted out a rental property and the realty lady seemed a little shocked when we asked about the possibility of cat enclosures. On further discussion she says that cats can roam as free as you want them to.

I don't want to get my hopes up and therefore wondered if anyone in or around the area knows if this Bylaw is enforced or is it a bit like the Hackney Cabs having to carry a bail of straw in the boot??

Hi
I lived in Red Deer and quite often saw cats roaming. I am sure someone with more info will reply to you soon.

Where in Red Deer are you locating to?
Hope your move and travels go well.

Why not just read the city bylaws http://www.reddeer.ca/City+Governmen...ws/default.htm

Thanks MJ - the rental is in Rosedale right on the edge of town, not exactly the location we wanted but hey ho, getting landlords to commit to crazy British people they haven't met has been somewhat tricky and I can't say I blame them really. This one will be fine for the first year though

As I said in my first post, I read it in the Bylaws stating that cats are not free to roam! However when i'm being told by a Realtor from Red Deer that cats do in fact roam free it causes me to question it.

I was just trying to ascertain which I should pay attention to?

Rosedale is quite nice. We have a couple of friends who live in that subdivision.

I lived in Johnstone Park initially and then we moved out to Sylvan Lake, and now Stauffer.

Rosedale is a lovely older area and not too much on the edge of town really.

You will see cats roaming free, but as the bylaws state, this is not really allowed. I think you would only get a problem if your cat was to do damage to the neighbours anything - yard/car/whatever else a cat might damage and the neighbours complained. Bylaws do just seem to be suggestions that only arses would investigate (unless it's annoying barking animals then they should be stopped).

Pay attention to a realtor or the bylaws, a tough question to answer. I would go with the bylaws set by the city who can impose fines, rather than a realtor who has no legal authority in regard to bylaws at all.

Often bylaws are only enforced when someone complains and the pound picks up stray dogs or cats. Bylaws are for the benfit of the community as a whole, unfortunately some residents seem to think they only need obey the ones that suits them.

You don't think it is only the arses that are disobeying them and costing the tax payer to have the city enforce them?

"Bylaws are for the benfit of the community as a whole",(only in bold as this is a quote, not to shout at anyone )

I would say from my limited experience that the majority of people do obey the bylaws

In this particular by-law, I'm struggling to see who benefits at all.... except by-law enforcement, who get to pursue otherwise law abiding people with for infractions that dont make sense.

Sometimes I think that people create/enforce bylaws because they have nothing better to do.

Apart from those that don't pick up dog poop and those that don't shovel the pavements and those that let their dogs off leash...

I would like to think if a neighbour is fed up with your cat wandering on a property they would tell you first, not call a bylaw officer straight away? Same as a barking dog and un shovelled pavements, I do let people know I am not happy with their off leash dog charging my leashed one when we are walking in a 'keep your dog on a leash' area.

If you let your cat roam I would be more worried about the local wildlife than bylaw enforcement.

There's a cat who shits most days in my friends back garden, which is a pain since his young daughter plays out and has stepped in it a couple of times while learning to walk.

He'd like to shoot it but I think the bylaw won't allow it

Agree

It is the responsible pet owners in these instances who are tarred with the same brush.