Attention to all cat lovers!  As a followup my  highly successful public meeting in August, I will be   hosting a training session for those individuals who are interested in volunteering for the planned Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR)  program. This will take place on Wed. Oct. 20 (7:30 p.m.) in the Council Chamber of   City Hall (5801 Cavendish Blvd.).

Shelley Schecter, who has been leading a small group of volunteers doing TNR in the West End for a number of years, will lead the session. Alanna Devine, the director of animal welfare at the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals  (CSPCA) and Dr. Marlene Kalin, the director of the Côte Saint-Luc Animal Hospital,  will also be on hand.

As Côte Saint-Luc begins to build our budget for 2011, the mayor and council are looking favourably upon financially supporting a TNR Program. Canadian Pacific Railway have also been contacted about making a contribution and they are considering this. In order for this program to proceed we need a dedicated group of volunteers who know and understand how TNR works.I am impressed already with the number of confirmations I have for the October 20 meeting. People do want to get involved

I am also looking into the introduction of a cat licensing program in Côte Saint-Luc Yes, there are many feral cats out there, but we also have cat owners who let their cats out. Some of these cats are not spayed or neutered and as a result they are  adding to the feral cat population in our community.

The TNR program humanely traps, sterilizes, then releases feral cats back into their original territory. Experts say that removing feral cats doesn't work because new cats simply move into the area. If the cat is adoptable, efforts are made to place it with a family. A cat can reproduce four times a year, beginning from six months old, and can give birth to from one to eight kittens each time.   TNR programs have been proven worldwide, throughout Europe, the United States, parts of Canada, as the most humane and cost-efficient way of controlling and decreasing the numbers of homeless cats. 

For more information about the meeting call 514-485-6945 or send me an  e-mail at [email protected].