• Responsible Cat Ownership
• Violating HRM By-Law N-300
• Dealing With Nuisance Cats
  

Responsible Cat Ownership

Pet owners are responsible for the actions of their pets at all times. Responsible cat owners:

• help their cats stay safe and live longer by keeping them indoors.
• understand the benefits of spaying/neutering their cats.
• prevent their cats from creating an issue for their neighbours by complying with regulations provided in HRM By-Law N-300 Respecting Nuisances Part 3 - Cats.

HRM By-Law N-300 stipulates that cat owners must:

• keep their cats from damaging public or private property.
• pick up after their cats if they defecate on any property other than that of its owner.

Violating HRM By-Law N-300

Cat owners found to be in violation of HRM By-Law N-300 may:

• be issued a warning notice.
• be issued a Summary Offense Ticket of $342.41 or greater.
• face prosecution in a court of law.

Dealing With Nuisance Cats

Residents experiencing an issue with nuisance cats should:

• Talk to the owner of the cat. They may not be aware that their pet is being disruptive.
• Register a complaint by contacting the HRM Citizen Contact Centre at 311 or 1-800-835-6428 (toll free in Nova Scotia). You must be able to provide a description of the cat, and the name and address of the cat's owner.

more information on registering a complaint

To deter nuisance cats from visiting their property, property owners should consider:

• planting Rue, a strong scented perennial woody herb, or Scaredy Cat, a flowering coleus, in gardens, near windows, doors and other areas where a cat might be tempted to spray. The strong odor of these plants is offensive to most cats. Rue and Scaredy Cat can be found at local garden centres.
• keeping garden soil moist.
• purchasing an electronic or water spraying deterent system.

More information:
Discouraging Free Roaming Cats