Sylvia Moss, owner of six cats and a dog, asked councillors to vote down the bylaw, which would restrict the number of cats to three per home. Council passed a motion to that effect Sept. 8 and were expected to approve the official bylaw Monday. 

Councillors have said too many cats under one roof poses a health risk to the animals and owners and can be disruptive to neighbours.

“This argument that you have put forth publicly does not stand up,” Moss told council. 

She said the city already has a bylaw that bans cats from roaming freely. Furthermore, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is mandated to deal with complaints about animal abuse and neglect, she said.

The existing safeguards make the proposed bylaw unnecessary, she said. 

“Surely there are in place already enough safeguards to deal with situations which you consider to border on being a public nuisance,” Moss wrote in a letter to council.

Coun. David Adair, chairman of the city’s bylaw committee, said Moss provided an adequate argument “to allow for a second sober thought” about the bylaw. He moved a motion to table it pending a review by the bylaw committee. 

The motion passed unanimously. 

The city has no limit on the number of cats per home, but requires a one-time registration fee for each. Dogs are limited to two per house. 

Moss also questioned how the bylaw would be enforced and why no public meeting was held before consideration of the motion.

Coun. Peter Lemon said limiting the number of cats in each household ensures neighbours are not adversely affected by a home overrun by felines.

“To limit cats is our legal right,” he said. “To make sure everyone’s rights are protected is council’s responsibility.”

Sheila Gordon, one of about 15 cat lovers at the meeting, said the bylaw prevents people from taking in strays abandoned by their owners. 

Each of Gordon’s five cats was a stray and she once had up to nine in her home.

“It’s ludicrous to say you can only have three cats,” she said after the meeting.

The proposed bylaw would include a grandfather clause, meaning people who have more than three registered cats will not be forced to get rid of them.