WILD CATS AND FERAL OWNERS

Many buildings have restrictions on residents owning pets and keeping them in their apartments – but what if the pet-lovers neither own nor keep them? 

QUESTION: Eight feral cats hang around my building and another resident regularly feeds them which, of course, is why they hang around.  He’s pretty passionate about them, whereas the Executive Committee is ferociously anti-cat and wants them gone.  It seems there are residents both for and against the feral cats but the cat-lover’s car has now suffered mysterious damage.   

The cat feeder is prepared to pay for the cats to be neutered and microchipped and the  local council say they would leave them alone as they’d then consider them owned. At our last AGM a special resolution to allow pets was defeated because 25% opposed it.  Does 25% really stop 75%?   

I don’t want the cats killed, but I understand people’s objections. Neutering means they’ll eventually die off naturally.  I’d also like to come up with a by-law wording that allows residents to keep quiet pets but not loud ones. Any thoughts? ANSWER:  Easy stuff first: a “no” vote of at least 25 percent can overturn a proposed special resolution or by-law change.  It’s a generally a good rule but it does mean the stick-in-the-muds in a building can block sensible change. 

I don’t know about the exact legal position of feral cats but I do know that vandalising someone’s car is against the law. That needs to stop. As far as wording a by-law is concerned, one that forbade anyone from keeping a pet that was a nuisance – either by its noise, smell or destruction of common property – is all you really need. 

Pets are good for people, especially older and isolated people, so it’s not just a matter of rules and regulations.  But by-laws are there for a reason so residents can’t just ignore them.   I suggest that your EC asks the cat-feeder to go to mediation (call Fair Trading  on 133 220).  Mediation will establish what the problem really is – and maybe then you can find a solution. 

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