A hundred cats have been confiscated from a flat on Davies Street in the Hull sector following multiple complaints.
The cats’ owners say they are devastated by the procedure.
The three tenants who live at the property were very attached to their cats, whom they called their babies.
They said they were well fed, clean and healthy.
However, Gatineau regulations allow a maximum of 4 cats or dogs.
In autumn 2022, after receiving complaints, the Service de Police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) informed the owner of the site that he had to get rid of his cats.
Despite a deadline, this did not happen, and court proceedings over the past few days have led to the confiscation of a hundred cats.
The operation was carried out in cooperation between the SPVG, animal protection and the SPCA.
“My heart is broken. I have no taste. I’m bitter. I cry all the time. To be honest, it’s extremely difficult. It doesn’t make any sense,” said one of the owners whose cats were confiscated.
According to the police, the owners showed little cooperation.
“Obviously, with a hundred cats, you can’t spend all day catching the cats. There is a specific execution of tasks that need to be done. […] There was no cooperation from the people living there,” said Andrée East, spokeswoman for the Gatineau Police Department.
The SPVG adds that two complaints of violations of municipal regulations have been filed with the court; One of them concerns the excessive number of cats, and the other concerns the health of the site.