"This time of year is always difficult for the Society as summer is when most cats are in heat, she said. This year is far worse than usual and the shelters don't know why."
Quote from Victoria SPCA Manager Valerie Lykkemark from "SPCA littered with too many cats", published in Victoria Weekend on July 23, 2004
"It is a real crisis with the numbers of cats we are dealing with."
Quote from page 7 Victoria SPCA Newsletter - Winter 2004
"An unexpected and inexplicable influx of animals has pushed the local SPCA to its limit and accelerated their normal rate of euthanasia. The association would prefer to adopt these animals out."
Quote from Prince George Citizen story titled "More Animals Being Destroyed SPCA Overwhelmed" By Frank Peebles, Citizen Staff - August 10, 2004
"We are just so overwhelmed and we desperately need financial assistance to help care for these animals," says Woodhouse. If you can help, the SPCA would love to hear from you at 250-562-5511.
Quote from SPCA Press Release - Aug. 6/04 - Jeannine Woodhouse, Branch Manager, Prince George SPCA
"SPCA Shelters Desperately Seek Homes for Kittens and Cats"
July 21, 2004. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. The BC SPCA is urgently appealing to anyone who can provide a good home for a cat or kitten to please visit their local SPCA shelter or to go the SPCA's website at www.spca.bc.ca to view animals available for adoption online."
Quote from BC SPCA website - Press Release - July 21, 2004
"45 Kittens from Shuswap SPCA are desperately seeking homes"
Quote from Flyer Poster from Summer 2004
These pleas to adopt are all quotes from recent newspaper interviews with BC SPCA shelter managers and from the BC SPCA website itself.
Cat overpopulation . . . these types of desperate stories are heard over and over again. The problem has been analyzed but it appears that the root cause has not been attacked.
Year after year, same story. Overwhelming numbers of kittens/cats in BC SPCA animal shelters. Overwhelming numbers cause overcrowding, overcrowding causes stress, stress causes diseases like upper respiratory which is air borne and very contagious. The result? A chronic problem that needs addressing.
What’s the answer ? Concentrate on solutions that work and figure out how best to make the greatest impact.
A direct quote from The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) http://www.aafponline.org/index.htm , a professional organization of veterinarians in the United States which states:
"It is estimated that the number of free-roaming abandoned and feral cats in the United States may be as high as that of owned cats (about 73 million in 2000). Given the high rate of sterilization among owned cats, these unowned cats are the primary source of cat overpopulation."
What is our BC SPCA doing to recognize that the overwhelming numbers are coming from feral cat litters ? Their January 1994 Operational Bulletin # 12A: Feral Cats says that:
"If no homes can be found, to euthanize the animals. The real solution is found when these animals are tamed and are placed with new and caring owners."
Experienced feral cat caregivers will tell you that true feral cats can NEVER be tamed or placed in a new home. They are wild . . . but does that mean they should be euthanized?
The San Francisco SPCA (world renowned for its success in handling the feral cat problem) doesn't think so. http://www.sfspca.org/feral/index.shtml Its website quote: "We strongly believe that feral cats deserve our compassion and protection, and that there are effective, humane methods to control their populations. We support the efforts of compassionate caregivers who are working hard to make life better for feral cats. The San Francisco SPCA advocates for ferals in a number of ways."
The President of the BC SPCA recently wrote that the BC SPCA has "researched and discussed this topic at length. As you know, we have taken some measures and hope to address the issue more aggressively as limited resources allow."
"Some measures" means that the BC SPCA held a one-time "feral fix day" in Vancouver on Feb. 22, 2004 when 19 cats (some not feral) were fixed. Nothing has been heard from the BC SPCA since that time.
Nineteen fixed cats is not going to affect the Provincial overpopulation problem. There needs to be a dedicated BC SPCA Feral Cat Assistance program (similar to the San Francisco model) to solve the problem and reduce the feral kitten litters. There would be a lot of experienced feral cat rescue groups willing to help.
Will SPCA staff lose jobs if shelter numbers are reduced ? NO . . . but their job descriptions might change. Because of reduced numbers of kittens each year, instead of needing shelter workers to clean cages filled with overwhelming numbers, of having to euthanize hundreds of scared feral cats or kittens suffering from contagious upper respiratory disease, the SPCA shelters could have more human and monetary resources available to put towards full time animal groomers, dog rehabilitators, enhanced shelter facilities, community outreach and educational programs, and enforcement staff under the Provincial Cruelty Act.
This approach is common sense . . . for those who want true animal welfare.