Côte Saint-Luc Cat Committee Formally Launched

The Côte Saint-Luc Cat Committee (CSLCC) has officially launched a Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) program. Following a well attended public meeting last summer and a series of meetings with individuals willing to volunteer for this cause, activities are commencing with the financial support of the City of Côte Saint-Luc and Canadian Pacific Railway .

Left to right at a recent committee meeting: Shelley Schecter, myself, Dr. Monica Cybulski of the Côte Saint-Luc Hospital for Animals, Alanna Devine of the SPCA and former Mayor  Bernard Lang.

I am  spearheading the initiative and  I wish to  expresse my appreciation to Mayor Anthony Housefather and other members of council for their financial support. The Canadian Pacific Railway has also given a donation towards the project.
While TNR, which humanely traps, sterilizes and then releases feral cats back into their original territory, will be the main focus of the CSLCC, efforts will also be made to educate the public about the importance of sterilizing cats. This will be done by arranging visits to local schools, setting up information booths within the community and establishing a Facebook page. A special hotline will be introduced  for people to report feral cats in their neighbourhood.
 From our initial meeting, which attracted well more than 100 people, we have a dedicated group of cat lovers whom I believe will make a difference in our community. I am also grateful for the fact that both the SPCA and the Côte Saint-Luc Hospital for Animals are aboard.”
Shelley Schecter, considered to be one of the city’s foremost experts in TNR, has agreed to serve as the CSLCC’s special advisor.  She will train committee members on trapping.
A female cat can reproduce four times a year, beginning from six months old, and can give birth to from one to eight kittens each time. By sterilizing the cats, their numbers are brought down through attrition.
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.  
I hope that other communities will follow the lead of Cote Saint-Luc and launch such committees as well.
Among the committee members is former Côte Saint-Luc Mayor  Bernard Lang, who has been a cat owner for years.