Publicly funded clinic could address cat woes

Times Colonist
September 26, 2005

Re: "Homeless cats roam shelter," Sept. 10.

In the 1970s the city of Ottawa opened a low-cost spay-neuter clinic to great controversy. It was supported by the people of Ottawa and opposed by the local shelter, the pound, and the veterinarians.

The city-run clinic provided altering of pets at a reduced cost to pet owners, and it was a free service to pet owners on welfare.

The year after the clinic opened the number of unwanted animals killed at the shelter and at the pound plummeted by the thousands, and the number of unwanted animals killed annually continued to decrease. The Ottawa city-run spay-neuter clinic was a great success.

A publicly funded spay-neuter clinic for greater Victoria will diminish the unwanted cat population.

It seems strange that pet owners who allow their pets to procreate are not held responsible.

Why blame the landlord?

Susan Robertson,

Saanich.