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Hamilton has one of the highest kill rates for stray dogs and cats in Canada and officials say more has to be done.

The SPCA does not euthanize animals, but Hamilton Animal Services says they need more space, neutering and even the licencing of cats to combat the problem.

Karen Edwards is an advisor to Hamilton Animal Services,

“Currently we don’t have any program except when they get here we have to deal with them, when they get here we need to combat the problem in advance so we need to get low cost spay neutering out there for owners.”

Councillor Sam Merulla says more can be done.

“I’m proposing we work with the SPCA and our animal control staff for one common goal and that is to ensure that we increase capacity we increase the amount of neuters and that we decrease the population of street cats in the city and also potentially look at licencing.”

Licencing cats has been a contentious issue the city turned down just a few years go.

Animal Control officers say it has helped with the dog population. As the number of dog licences increased, the number of stray dogs brought into the shelter declined.

Edwards again,

“If cat licencing were to come into play it would be very helpful. We’ve seen an increase in our claim rates for dogs, if more of them have licences we are able to get more of them home.  With cats it would give us that same advantage.”

In the meantime the city is looking at partnering with the SPCA allowing them to house more stray animals at a storage facility in Stoney Creek.