To the Editor,
Re: City needs a cat bylaw, Letters, June 24, 2020
I wanted to respond to the letter from Dave Noble. I, too, am an animal lover. I have two cats which are always indoors. They never roam freely outside.
When I first moved to Port Alberni, I had the same issue. Along the walkway there was greenery. Just before this there was some space which had some dirt. Soon I was noticing some feces. Because of the size, I figured it was from a cat. There were also some deposits by my front door. This was not a pleasant to experience. I tried so many ways to discourage any cat to return to the same spot, as it seems every time the spot was cleaned up, the same thing happened again. Most annoying.
The best solution I found was to clean up the spot, so the smell and feces is gone. Then I added some landscape rocks wherever there was dirt. This way a cat would have difficulty digging, as it would be hard on their paws. This could be the same for any animal. The front area of the door was cleaned up, and eventually the problem went away. You really need something on the dirt so they can’t dig it up. The only downside is that you may experience more weeds, but weeds are better that feces.
Yes, roaming cats are a problem. Of course there are also roaming dogs. Dogs should all be on a leash and owners should be picking up after them. All these issues should be addessed by the City of Port Alberni bylaw and the SPCA should be involved.
Pet owners should be responsible. Some are, some are not. Until this happens, we will have to try and deal with the problem ourselves. I hope the landscape rocks help with the garden issues for other citizens who may have the same issues.
Linda Lubiner,
Port Alberni
