Edmonton councillors asked staff Monday if the city's policy can be changed so adoptable stray cats and dogs are not put down.

Last year, 1,451 cats and 301 dogs were euthanized by Edmonton's Animal Control Services and some councillors say the city needs to adopt a new policy to bring those numbers down.

"If it's a healthy, adoptable animal, regardless of breed or age or shelter capacity, you will not euthanize them," Coun. Karen Leibovici said.

On Monday, the city's community services committee discussed a city report looking into the feasibility of a "no-kill" policy.

The report, which was compiled at the request of several councillors and released last week, said the policy was not feasible because of capacity problems at the animal control shelter.

"We would hold onto those animals as long as we can, but the reality is if our facilities are full and all the other support facilities are full, then we are faced with euthanizing them," said David Aitken, director of bylaw enforcement.

The city's animal services shelter handles stray and abandoned animals. The Edmonton Humane Society takes in pets that are surrendered by their owners and only euthanizes animals that are too sick or aggressive to be safely adopted.

The goal of keeping healthy, adoptable animals alive can happen only if the public helps by spaying or neutering their pets. Licensing is another part of the solution, Aitken said, because it makes it easier to reunite owners with their lost cats and dogs.

"Fourteen hundred [cats] last year...had to be euthanized. If they were all licensed, we wouldn't have to euthanize any of them," he said.

City councillors asked staff to look into the issue further as well as discuss it with the Humane Society.

Landlords will also be part of the discussions. Councillors heard that fewer places are allowing tenants to have pets and that may be contributing to people abandoning their pets.