Cat wars in Verdun

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by GEORGE MADDUX

Like many other island municipalities, Verdun limits residents to two pets per home, calling for fines of $100 to those who flaunt the bylaw. Rena Bouffard, who owns two cats and feeds four others in her backyard, is the most recent feline lover to feel the heat. "I'm not going to let them starve to death," she says. "I don't want to let them die, it's not a solution."

Bouffard has until the end of this month to get rid of the extra cats or else face getting fined repeatedly, says Verdun Environment Inspector Jacques Reid. But limiting the number of cats citizens can own doesn't help control the problem of strays, according to Nicole Blais of Verdun's Cat Refuge Centre. "People who love to take care of animals are discouraged from doing so," she says. "When the city comes, it's like Sophie's Choice: you have four cats, you have to choose two to get rid of." Blais says she knows of families who fell into deep depression when ordered to surrender their feline friends. She says her organization has a cat adoption program that has seen 32 of 42 strays find new homes. Blais also points to successful American programs that encourage people to feed the strays. "The answer is to trap, neuter and release," she says. The group is knocking on doors with a pro-cat petition and encourages cat lovers to join them in questioning Verdun Mayor Georges Bossé on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. at Verdun City Hall. For more info on the cause, call 761-4444.

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