It looks like cats will have to wear leashes in Prescott by next year.
On Monday, Prescott Town council passed a new animal-control bylaw which treats cats similarly to dogs – forcing them to wear leashes, follow running-at-large and tag rules, and ensuring their owners pick up after them.
There were public concerns about how the bylaw would impact animal owners, however, Mayor Brett Todd says it’s simply about responsible pet ownership.
“The animal fines are basically being doubled because they haven’t been adjusted for 27 years and we have had this item come up at different times in the past and we’ve been losing money on animal control in areas where we have to deal with veterinary costs and chip reading and so forth,” Todd said.
The new bylaw updates the original animal-control bylaw, which has been in place since 1994.
Under it, owners can be charged $110 if their dog or cat is running at large and they also could be fined if the pet is not licensed, or not wearing its tag.
The poop-and-scoop law will also apply to cats as well under the new bylaw.
You could face a $210 fine if you do not pick up after your animal on other people’s property or in public spaces.
Prescott CAO Matthew Armstrong says the bylaw is not about making money, but ensuring pets are not separated from their owners.
“In my mind, from a town staff perspective, this is to get pets who’ve gone astray or inadvertently gotten loose back safely,” Armstrong said. “The revenue we generate from fees does not come close to offsetting the costs of getting those animals back safely and timely.”
The town adds that the provision for cats won’t come into effect until January of next year, so that cat owners can educate themselves on what it means for them.
Mayor Todd says it’s not about punishing cat owners, but treating them as equals to dogs.
“We’re not focusing on any particular pet or anything of the sort but we’re just trying to encourage responsible pet ownership and sort of level the playing field between dogs and cats, so that the language does not just specify dogs but it’s more broad-based,” he said.
More detailed information on the bylaw can be found here.
