Amid rumours of recent large numbers of cats being euthanised in an SPCA shelter, it would be wonderful if we could pool ideas on how to solve this problem.

The number of euthanised cats is not entirely the public's fault- nor can it be laid at the feet of the SPCA.

Personally, I try to be part of the solution. I have adopted nine adult cats from the SPCA, some of them with major problems. I also offer free pick-up and delivery home to help the local spay/neuter programme. I wish that there were more pick-ups to do, as there really is a need. So many people simply do not have transportation. They have no carriers in the first place to go on the bus with- and the SPCA is not too near a bus stop anyway. Veterinary offices are often difficult to get to as well. A lot of the owners of my pick-ups have been wonderful with their animals, but so many have complex health problems. Some never go out of their homes. One lady told me that she didn't have suitable clothes to wear to a vet's office. I just got back from taking a kitten back to her owner a few minutes ago.

Here's a few thoughts.

The cost of spay/neuter for cats goes as high as $120, or more, in many vet's offices. Atlas Animal Hospital in Vancouver offers the same service for $40 (female) and $30 (male). Many people cannot afford the higher sums. Maybe veterinarians could really try to hold down the price for this service.

The local SPCA really tries here. The Nanaimo Council put up $25 000, a lady gave $25 000 to Marjories Fund, and the local vets put up the other third of the $75 000 project. This resulted in a free programme to the cat owner. This will probably help in years to come, as the breeding population declines. I feel that other area SPCAs should push their local councils for help in this area. The assistance given by the SPCA through this programme to the Nanaimo Feral Cat Rescue Association, Catnap and Walker's Animal Shelter has been invialuable.

A big problem is getting the message out. I have worked on designing an effective poster, but somehow we need to get billboards in downtown areas, where the people who need to see it will get the message. Any suggestions?

Another difficulty is that a number of people don't like revealing their lack of income in connection with the means test that goes with the free spay/neuter, so they just let their cats breed. I sometimes think that the means test should be scrapped. A few "cheats" might slip through the cracks, but cheat's cats breed just as readily as honest people's cats. Better a few slip through IMHO. A lot of people earning just over the poverty guidelines that are used find it difficult to come up with the necessary funds.

I also blame the professional cat haters! They are a real part of the problem. One local resident tried to block the council from allocating $25 000 to the spay/neuter programme. He issued a long diatribe to Council while holding a bag of purported cat feces in a plastic bag! I've been screamed at by some of them, who just want the cats gone. I always ask them what they are doing to try to solve the problem. You never get an answer, so you tell them what you're doing and what others in the area are doing. I don't know if the message gets through! You have to keep educating people.