District of Carleton North declines request for help
A group of Centreville volunteers working to reduce the population of stray and feral cats in the community is disappointed after the District of Carleton North (DCN) declined its request for financial support. The municipality’s decision leaves the group to rely on fundraising and community donations to continue the project.
“We are very disappointed,” said Rebecca Graham, one of the founding volunteers involved in the project. “We had hoped to do a partnership with the District, the community, the SPCA, the vet clinic, and the volunteer group. The District is the only one who fell through.”
Graham initially approached the council seeking between $1,500 and $2,000 to get the project underway and, hopefully, make a substantial dent in the colony before winter.
According to Graham, the council asked the volunteer group to raise money themselves, determine the associated costs, and return to present their findings.
The group did so, and Graham returned to the council on Sept. 22. At that meeting, Councillor Scott Oakes did acknowledge that funding the project could be a challenge.
“Our problem is our budgets are set the year before, and we don’t have a huge influx of cash sitting around to address things like this,” said Oakes. “We really do have to allocate each dollar that comes in.”
However, he suggested the council could look further into the finances to see what wasn’t spent in the current budget, noting he expects some funding may be available.
Mayor Andrew Harvey told Graham that the council would, “have further discussions on this,” and that their CAO would be in contact, advising Graham what the District could do to support the project.
“We’ll definitely be back in some fashion soon,” Harvey added.
Graham said that she never heard anything more from the council. She then made multiple attempts to obtain an update but received no response. Graham eventually spoke with the District’s administrative coordinator, Rayma Rediker, who said she would look into the matter. Later that day, Graham received an email denying the funding request.
“At this time, the District does not have the funding available to support this request,” she wrote. “The Council is willing to discuss the request as part of the 2027 budget preparation process; however, please note this does not guarantee funding will be available.”
Graham said the volunteer group was very disappointed in the council’s decision, particularly since she felt they had been led to believe they would receive funding.
“We were really counting on that money,” said Graham. “But, even just $500 would have covered the cost of two neuters and helped to cut down on further growth of the colony.”
River Valley Sun reached out to the District for comment on its decision but received no response.
Despite the funding setback, Centreville Operation Purrvention has already made progress.
So far, four cats — two males and two females — have been spayed or neutered. Two female cats have been rehomed as barn cats, three kittens have been taken in by the Oromocto SPCA, and four more kittens have been placed in homes. Another five kittens are scheduled to go to the SPCA shortly.
The volunteers are also working to locate and monitor the kittens born to the colony. They are tagging mother cats to help track them, as the mothers have become increasingly adept at hiding their kittens. Graham shared that cats that cannot be rehomed return to their outdoor environment after treatment.
Graham shared that they have received strong community support from businesses and other shelters, including donations of food, litter, blankets, toys, and merchandise for fundraising baskets. They also received a winter shelter for the cats, generously donated by the Debec Animal Shelter. The building will be placed on a section of the route that the cats regularly use to travel.
Graham said they are very grateful for all the community support they have received, but they have been receiving questions about the District’s involvement.
“We’re hearing a lot of comments from the community asking what the District is doing or why they aren’t helping,” Graham said.
“We’re just a group of four local individuals that want to reduce the population of stray cats in the community,” she added.
Graham explained that the group never intended to become a permanent organization. Instead, the volunteers hoped to address the existing colony and eventually dissolve the group once the problem was under control.
At that point, Graham said they hoped the District would consider establishing an ongoing cat population prevention program, similar to programs in other municipalities.
In Woodstock, volunteers capture stray cats and transport them for veterinary treatment, then return those that cannot be rehomed to their original environment. The town supports the program through a partnership with a veterinary clinic.
Many municipalities take proactive measures with cat colonies, which can reduce unwanted litters, prevent the colony from growing, and help protect community members’ property and health.
Cat urine contains ammonia and allergens, which can irritate the respiratory systems. Cat urine and feces can also carry harmful bacteria that can transmit disease and parasites. Feral cats can also be aggressive towards humans, particularly if they have kittens nearby.
Cat colonies can also damage property. Feral cats often use gardens and planters as litter boxes, creating a mess, damaging plants, and spreading disease. Male cats will spray furniture and buildings to mark their territory, leaving behind both smells and stains that can be hard to remove, especially on porous materials like concrete foundations.
For Centreville Operation Purrvention, preventing further breeding is an important first step toward addressing these concerns, especially since both a school and daycare are located near the area the cats frequent.
With or without District support, Graham said the volunteers are still hard at work, continuing their fundraising efforts and inviting the community to help.
The group is selling tickets for a gift basket valued at more than $1000. Tickets can be purchased from Autumn Smith-LeBlanc of Beauty by Autumn. On November 7, volunteers will attend the Centreville Christmas Fair market, where they will sell tickets for items donated by Sunset Auction.
Graham said that anyone interested in supporting the project by fostering or adopting a cat can contact her at 506-391-9793 or reach out through the Centreville Operation Purrvention Facebook page.
