2Karen1

Hi guys, have been a viewer of the various threads for ages now. We are hoping to relocate to Canada this year. We went to an emigrate show at the weekend, and still ploughing our way through all the info. In some literature about Alberta we read that cats are not allowed to roam free, and that they have to be housebound.............Is this true? And also if it is, is this also true in Nova Scotia, as this is the other area that we are interested in............be grateful if anyone can help............Thanks muchly

G77

Not sure if it's true, but there's many Coyotes in Alberta and if you do let them out, they're likely to become a tasty snack for them.... This happened recently to someone on here....

Judy in Calgary

Just do a Google search for CAT + BYLAW + CITY + PROVINCE.

In Calgary, cats are not allowed to wander from their owners' property. There is a cat who visits our property from time to time, but he/she doesn't bother us. Technically, however, the cat's owners are in violation of the bylaw.

When I did the above mentioned Google search for Halifax, Nova Scotia, I found that the city's residents were in an uproar over whether cats should be licensed or not.
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2Karen1

wow, that was very quick reply, thank-you.........I will certainly have a look at that search, I must admt we thought it was because of the bears, didnt think of the coyotes.............Our cats are 10years old, and we are just wondering whether it would be fair to bring them if they can't go outside, mind you fairer than being eaten !!!!

Judy in Calgary

I have seen people walking cats on leashes, much as other people do with dogs. I'm guessing that an older cat would not take kindly to that idea, however. I imagine one would need to start when the cat was young.

Another idea is to have a large area in one's back yard (garden) that's enclosed by mesh or chicken wire or something like that.

Still another solution, if you do come to Calgary, is to live in a satellite town, such as Cochrane. That town is popular, even with people who don't have cats. What I'm saying is that there are other valid reasons for living there besides the fact that the town does not have a bylaw against roaming cats.

Here is the website of Cochrane's Town Council. Click on Bylaws. Then click on Animal.
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Tuppence

Judy is correct about NS. HRM have approved the bylaw that means we have to licence our cats. I think it begins next month.

Coyotes are the issue near us. Our neighbour lost two of their three cats. They know is was a coyote because it was spotted in their yard.

We have two indoor cats - one came from the UK, on is Canadian. They are bred to be indoor cats so we have no issue keeping them in.

the undutchables

Good point about the coyotes. It had crossed our mind about wild animals, and we had read that raccoons can be vicious, but didn't realise in some places it was against the law to let cats roam free.

We will bring our two cats over with us, they are still quite young, but I know for a fact they will not be happy about this! Still, am sure they will get used to it, if they have to be indoor cats. ( I think the escape committee is holding their first meeting in the tumble dryer as we speak)

Lisa_W

Our two cats were twelve when we brought them over last summer. The male one had been virtually an indoor cat for the last three years anyway (we moved house and he got lost a couple of times and after that he would only go out in our back garden if we left the door open for him. He would panic and come running back the minute he saw the door was closed). The female cat used to go out and have a wander round and we were concerned about how she would get on when we got here, if we had to keep her indoors.

Here in Okotoks, cats are allowed to go out and there is no licensing. As it is, neither of them have shown any interest in going out - other than to go out onto the balcony when the sun is shining and sun themselves. I am hoping that will continue to be the case when the boys start leaving doors open in the summer as I don't want the female one becoming lunch for a coyote.

G77

What do people do with their cats when they have the inevitable trips back to the UK to see relatives, hols etc? Is it the same as the UK i.e. a cattery?

Alberta_Rose

We had a sad little note delivered to our door last night from some neighbours who were looking for their 14 yr old tabby cat (in Calgary). It says she has been missing since 25th Feb, ie two days, and needs a special diet , and had never been outside before.

Little D

We brought our cat over, and used to let her out. She loved it. Unfortunately, she disappeared 3 months after we got here, and I suspect became a meal for a coyote.

I would have kept her in if I had known, but hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Judy in Calgary

It depends.

Local residents sometimes have family members nearby, and ask them to help out. Obviously it's less common for expats to have relatives close at hand.

If people go away for a weekend, they sometimes ask their neighbours to give their cat(s) food and water.

There are boarding kennels that can be used for longer absences.
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Alberta_Rose

Exactly the same as would be the case in the UK, I suspect.

They probably call them cat hotels here though!

Solarfish

Coyotes are certainly a problem for outdoor cats http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=486685

hot wasabi peas

Dear People with Cats,

It's not just the cougars, eagles, bears, coyotes, racoons, etc... it's also the rednecks and budding serial killers.

Seriously. There are many people in Canada who consider cats vermin and will willifully poison, torture, steer their cars towards and otherwise kill cats simply to enact some deeply engrained knuckle-draggin' instinct.

I have had pet cats in Canada and I kept them inside because of PEOPLE, not wildlife.

Yours...

PS - oh, and diseases... like rabies, cat HIV and flu and something else that I forget.