'Throw them in the river': Alberta mayor apologizes for feral cat remarks

Mayor of Lac La Biche, Alberta apologizes for suggesting feral cats be drowned.

Mayor Omer Moghrabi made the comments at a council meeting on Monday, sparking outrage from animal rights activists.

The mayor of an Alberta town has apologized for suggesting that feral cats be drowned.

Omer Moghrabi, the mayor of Lac La Biche, made the comments at a council meeting on Monday. He was discussing the town's feral cat population, which has been growing in recent years.

Moghrabi said that the town needed to find a way to control the population, and that one option would be to drown the cats.

"We could throw them in the river," he said.

Moghrabi's comments were met with outrage from animal rights activists. The Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) called his comments "cruel and inhumane."

"Drowning is a horrific way to die," said AARCS founder Deanna Thompson. "It's slow and painful, and it causes the animal to experience extreme distress."

Moghrabi apologized for his comments on Tuesday. He said that he had been "speaking out of turn" and that he did not condone the drowning of cats.

"I deeply regret my comments," he said. "I understand that they were hurtful to many people, and I apologize for the pain that I caused."

Moghrabi said that he is committed to working with animal welfare groups to find a humane solution to the town's feral cat population.