While the Weyburn Humane Society is still at capacity for cats, they won't turn away a stray or feral cat in need of help. They also want to ensure families are reunited with their pets, which is why they encourage those irritated by stray cats not to take matters into their own hands.
Shelter Manager and board member with the Weyburn Humane Society, Colleen Morrice, said they utilize cat traps to bring a cat in for care, even temporarily. And while it's easier for stray or feral cats to survive in the summer than in winter, there are still issues in warmer weather that need to be attenuated.
“We have cat traps here at the shelter that we use to help cats that may be in distress or if they're overheating,” she said. “Lots of times, we have some feral cats in the city here that need to be taken care of, they have ear mites or something else going on with them that they need to be trapped and brought in so we could care for them.”
“If an animal is injured, we definitely will take it. We're not going to leave a cat out there that's injured or sick or anything like that, we'd like to get it in,” she added.
Morrice said anyone who finds a strange cat in their yard is asked to give them a call for a cat trap.
“I know lots of people have their own cat traps and we end up not seeing those cats here at the shelter, which sometimes breaks families hearts. Not sometimes. All the time. It breaks the families hearts if their cat doesn't come home. So we'd rather you give us a call and we will bring that cat in if it is being a nuisance in your yard.”
She said they don't mind cat owners letting their cats outside, as long as they stay in their yards. It's when the shelter gets calls from the neighbours saying the cats are in their gardens or creating a nuisance. This is also what puts family cats at risk of the neighbours utilizing their own cat traps in an attempt to solve the issue themselves.
“They might be allergic to your cat, or maybe they just don't like cats in general and we'd hate to see your cat get injured.”
Feral cats, noted Morrice, can benefit the ecosystem by keeping not only mice in check, but strays in general – as long as they are not increasing the cat population.
“If we can get the cat, put it in here if we have to get it spay and neutered, and then find a farm home if it is a feral, we're more than willing to do that.”
Fitting your pet with an I.D. collar is helpful, but according to Morrice, this doesn't mean your pet won't end up at the shelter if it is running at large, due to the City of Weyburn's Cat and Dog bylaw.
“But at least that way your animal will not stay here very long. We will get it back to you right away as long as your phone number is current,” she said. “Also I recommend having your animal micro-chipped just so there's that second safety, if they happen to lose their collar.”
The cat traps from the WHS can be borrowed for a $60 deposit, refunded upon its return, for up to 72 hours, as long as someone is home to check the trap. The traps do not require bait, as this may attract homed cats instead.
She said the traps work because if the cat is homeless, it feels safe inside the trap, especially if it is covered with a towel or something similar.
“It's kind of a little place for them to go and hide, or for them to run into if they're getting chased by another animal, and then that animal can't get them either.”
The shelter has two sizes of cat traps, the smaller ones are also sometimes used for capturing gophers in homes. Between loaning them out or using them for reported cats, Morrice said their 10 cat traps are in constant use.
