I found Out that I am going to have periodic Animal Control Visits

[Pam]

No I wouldn't like it, but I would accept it. Animal Welfare people see some horrific situations. They have to check up on homes where people keep taking in animals that they are not able to care for. Quite clearly, your home does not fall into this category. You also have the support of your vet. If they visit at all, I would not expect those visits to be frequent.

This is pretty much what I was going to say. Gary, I think in another thread you mentioned that you are above the legal limit in your town for the amount of cats you have. Maybe you can just view this as sort of a trade off. They don't ask you to cut down the size of your family and you, in turn, have to submit to these visits. I wouldn't like it either, but if that's the way it has to be for my little cat family to remain intact I would comply. Good luck!

[Sonia59]

Oh Gary, I am sorry to hear this, but I would not worry to much. You have NOTHING to worry about. And as others have said, if they come a few times and see happy and healthy cats and have a warm welcome from you, they may not visit you very frequently then!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Gary, I think in another thread you mentioned that you are
above the legal limit in your town for the amount of cats you have.

I did a little research on the City of Hamilton web site - a rather "fancy" and
VERY detailed and well indexed presentation.

Animal Control has a lot of info here >>>
http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/.../animalcontrol

They offer a Lifetime License for CATS at $12.00; but also say you don't need
to "license" a cat - as long as it wears an ID Tag which you can obtain anywhere.
Nowhere on the Animal Control pages does it give a LIMIT on the number of cats permitted.

The Hamilton City BYLAWS tell a different story.
Bylaw # 84-191 is the real problem >>>

http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyre...1asamended.pdf

It won't let me copy & paste - but it says (with a triple negative) that you
can keep TWO "class 3" animals.
"Class 3 Animals" are a small animal group including Dogs and Cats.

I interpret this to mean ONE dog + ONE cat;
or TWO dogs + NO cat;
or TWO cats + NO dog

(Wonder WHO passed THAT bylaw? The public must have been asleep!)

A lot more Bad News for Cat Owners is in Bylaw 86-343 >>>
http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyre...lawNo86343.pdf

This one deals with CATS - and their limits of freedom ...
short version - Kat gotta STAY HOME on the owner's property -
NO wandering and/or going Potty on public or private property.

---------------------------------------

*MY* read on this situation is that one or more of Gary's Neighbors don't
like some of his cats "wandering" around the Hood.
Prolly one or two have used somebody's flower bed as the Bafroom - and
Animal Control has prolly been told "there's Hundreds of wild cats in that guy's yard and house!"

How to "fix" the problem?? - Good question!

Short of *moving out* of Hamilton - about the only way I see is to
move the Cats INside and eliminate the "at large & roaming" problem.
If No cats are "visible" to the neighbors - the might forget about complaining.

Good Luck!

/s/ Phred

[catmandu]

Thank You, as I have never seen that bylaw before.
This is getting me down, as I am having nightmares about them taking my Friends.
I love them so much, I dont now what I would do if they told me to give up any of my Friends.
It would probably mean armageddon.