Cat lover, Val Allen, will be moving out of Pincher Creek after mysteriously losing four of her feline friends.
Angela Hill photo
Pincher Creek has not been the cat’s meow for resident, Val Allen. After losing four cats in the past two years, she’s put her house up for sale and she’s looking for a more cat-friendly neighbourhood.
Allen and her first cat moved to the town of Pincher Creek in September of 2006 to be closer to her mother who resides in Vista Village. One day in October, she let her cat out, as she has done for years, only this time her cat didn’t come back. At that time, Allen didn’t suspect foul play as she didn’t know anything about the animal control bylaw. She just assumed that the poor puss had been the unfortunate victim of a car. It wasn’t until August 2007, when Allen learned first hand that cat trapping was allowed in Pincher Creek. One of her kittens had disappeared, and Allen found her cat caged in a neighbour’s backyard. “I approached my neighbour to get my cat back, but she told me I couldn’t have it,” recalled Allen. “She told me she was taking it to the SPCA and I would have to pick it up there.” Allen did go to the SPCA where she had to pay $20 to reclaim her cat. She also had to pay an additional $50 to the town for disobeying the animal control bylaw.
Allen didn’t mind paying the fees as long as she could have her cat back.
Later that month, the unthinkable happened. Allen found her cat, Miss Daisy, bleeding profusely and rushed her to the Pincher Creek Veterinary Clinic. According to Allen, the veterinarian was surprised to find a bullet against Miss Daisy’s ribs. Understandably, Allen was angry. She decided to put an advertisement in the Echo offering a reward to anyone who could offer information on the cat shooter. Unfortunately, no one stepped forward and Miss Daisy passed away because of complications from the bullet wound.
If that isn’t enough feline frenzy, in September, another of Allen’s cats disappeared. “I realized at this time how many people were trapping,” remembered Allen.
It was that month, that she began suspecting her neighbours of trapping her cats and dropping them off outside of town.
“I was outside in my backyard when I heard a cat meowing,” recalled Allen. She said she approached her neighbour, who had told her not to worry it’s not her cat in the trap. According to Allen, the neighbour then informed her that he would be taking the cat out of town rather than to the shelter. Upon hearing this statement, Allen decided to take her cat concerns directly to Town council. In November of 2007, Allen presented her case to council hoping they would change the animal control bylaw, but she left the chambers feeling unheard. A month later, she decided to contact the Alberta SPCA. According to their documentation, there are only three legal options for disposal of trapped cats. They can be released in the hope that the experience deters the cat, the cat can be returned to the owner or the cat can be turned into the local pound. The document also points out that cats are not to be relocated and it is an offence under the Criminal Code and the Animal Protection Act of Alberta to do so. Allen said she took this information to the local RCMP who informed her that they need hard evidence against her neighbour in order to take any action.
In February, Allen’s cat, Mojo, fell ill and once again she was waiting anxiously at the vet clinic. According to Allen, many tests were conducted, and it was revealed that Mojo was poisoned. Allen was perplexed as to how this could happen as she had only allowed Mojo to play in her backyard under her watchful eye. “The only thing I could think of was someone had thrown something in my yard and Mojo ate it,” said Allen. At this time, Allen was at her wits end. She went back to the RCMP to file a report. According to Allen, a RCMP representative approached her neighbour, who in turn denied having poisoned her cat. On March 5, Allen’s fourth cat passed away. With this recent death, Allen made the decision to put her house up for sale and to search for greener pastures. Mayor Gary Mills feels it’s a shame that Allen is moving because of what happened to her cats, but he stands behind the animal control bylaw. “This bylaw was put in place to protect the animals or other people in the community,” pointed out Mills. “Is it responsible to let your cats run free at night?” He went on to say that every night he sees four or five cats on his street and it can be annoying to non-cat owners who have to deal with felines getting into their garbage or defecating in their children’s sandboxes. “People should be able to play in their sandboxes,” said Mills. “Should the rights of cats supercede the rights of individuals?”
Although Mills feels bad for Allen’s situation, he points out that there is no hard evidence to support her claims. In regards to her concerns for cats being trapped, he says the town-owned cat traps are in place because it is too costly to hire a full-time bylaw officer to capture all of the cats and dogs running at large. Mills went on to say that the Town would expect the trapper to return the cat to its owner or to the Humane Society. SPCA Secretary Treasurer, Clara Yagos, says that the Humane Society has nothing to do with the trapping of cats. “It is left up to animal control as we do not condone it,” pointed out Yagos. “We believe in the humane treatment of all animals and want nothing to do with the trapping.” The SPCA will take in the trapped cats and ask the person dropping off the feline for a donation. “We are a non-profit society, and taking care of the animals is costly to us,” said Yagos. At this time, the SPCA only has space for one cat brought in by Animal Control.
To date, Allen has spent over $1,600 in medical fees and fines on her felines, and countless hours fighting the animal control bylaw. Instead of crying over spilt milk, she is now putting her energies into warning cat owners, who are thinking of moving to Pincher Creek. In fact, she told her realtor to warn possible buyers. “I don’t want someone to buy this house that has cats,” pointed out Allen. “Even an indoor cat escapes sometimes and it would be totally defenceless here.”
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