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Cats winding up at Turner Valley woman's home

A Turner Valley woman’s driveway has become a place for cats to get one of their nine lives. Terri Reuser has saved two cats from her driveway just outside of Turner Valley.

A Turner Valley woman’s driveway has become a place for cats to get one of their nine lives. Terri Reuser has saved two cats from her driveway just outside of Turner Valley. “We are on a rural road west of Turner Valley and we’ve been here for 30 years and we’ve never had pets show up, maybe the occasional stray dog or the neighbour’s dog, but never cats, because they get picked off so easily,” said Reuser in October. “But within a few weeks of each other I find two cats.” Reuser was able to find the owner of the first cat, who lived in Black Diamond. “Two weeks later, there’s another cat showing up that is obviously belonging to someone else because it is in too good of shape to not belong to someone,” Reuser said. “They weren’t barn cats, they were pet cats that were obviously dropped off by someone… It’s makes me wonder how many haven’t made it to our house because we have foxes, eagles and everything else.” The second cat, Jamarcus, was returned to her Okotoks area owner, in early October. Selena McDowell is convinced her beloved four-year-old cat was picked-up and dumped in Black Diamond at the end of Reuser’s driveway. “Prior to this, he would go outside and sit on our deck, sit in our own backyard and sometimes she would wander down our street and see a neighbour, but he’s never strayed outside of our neighbourhood,” McDowell said. “He has never been missing for more than a few hours at a time…. I think someone may have picked him and dumped him.” She said when she got into Reuser’s car and saw Jamarcus, both of them burst into tears. The cat initially was intimidated after coming home and they kept Jamarcus indoors. “We don’t feel comfortable letting any of our cats out now,” she said. McDowell had to put her Jamarcus down approximately two weeks ago due to sickness. As for her other cats, she has now purchased harnesses for them when they go outside. Angel Quinn lost her cat on Aug. 29, who hadn’t returned by mid-October. She said there are three residents in the Sheep River area who had lost cats. Quinn started checking posts about lost pets on social media. “I started noticing how many cats have gone missing,” she said. “A lot of people had been finding their cats missing located in places like Millarville, the DeWinton area, just too far away to be missing themselves.” She said one cat was found near the WestJet hangar in Calgary. Quinn admits she doesn’t know for sure if her cat was taken, adding the feline getting eaten by a coyote is a possibility. However, she doesn’t think the large number of missing cats in Sheep River were all taken by predators. She said in hindsight, she would make a greater effort to keep the cat indoors. Okotoks town bylaws do not require cats to be licensed like dogs. However, that does not means cats can be allowed to roam and do whatever they like. Under the Town’s “Responsible Pet Ownerships” requirements there are restrictions for felines. Cats are not allowed to defecate in neighbours property, or kill birds and rip up garbage or be a nuisance. However, there is no bylaw stating they can’t roam. Problem cats can be humanely trapped, but they are to be taken to local SPCA agencies if the owners are not known. Peter Stapley, Okotoks municipal enforcement co-ordinator, recommends cats be kept indoors. “It’s the easiest way your cat stays safe from wildlife or vehicles,” Stapley said. Cats can be tagged with a tattoo in their ear to help with identification in the event they go missing.

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