Many municipalities are educating pet owners and adopting no-roam bylaws, which specify that cats be kept indoors unless supervised, on a leash or in an enclosure. Bylaws by themselves are not enough; municipalities need to communicate the benefits to cats, wildlife and communities of keeping cats from roaming. It improves the lives of cats, and helps protect birds and other wildlife. Protecting birds and wildlife is important to conserving the biodiversity of our ecosystems, which is in turn critical to environmental conservation generally. (Birds and wildlife provide a variety of environmental services, such as insect control, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling. Read more here.) Protecting our cats from the risks of roaming also reduces human exposure to diseases such as toxoplasmosis and rabies and reduces neighbour conflict. Cats are the only pets we let roam on to neighbouring properties, and they may or may not be welcome. Often gardeners and neighbours with young children object to having neighbourhood cats defecating in their gardens or play areas.

Familiarize yourself with your municipality’s bylaws, and support the adoption and promotion of healthy alternatives to letting cats roam. Talk to your friends and neighbours about why such bylaws are important, for the cats’ sake as well as the birds’. Visit here to read about our ideal municipal program.