Winnipeg cat licence sales reach 13K in first few months

More than 13,000 cats in Winnipeg have been licensed since the city made it mandatory for owners to register their feline friends this year, city officials have told CBC News.

New rules requiring cat owners to register their pets came into effect on Jan. 1. Annual fees are $15 for cats that are spayed and neutered and $50 for cats that are not.

The city has maintained the licensing rules are being enacted to protect cats and to reunite them with their owners in the event they go missing.

Fifty per cent of the revenue collected from the cat licensing program will eventually go toward a spay and neuter program.

Shortly before the rules came into effect, officials had said they expected to sell 10,000 licences in the first year.

Cat licences are being sold via the city's website and 311 phone services as well as at the Animal Services agency and at a number of pet supply stores, veterinary clinics, animal shelters and other retail outlets.