Saturday, September 25, 2004

Cats fill SPCA shelter
Increase blamed on lottery funding cut

by MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff

The Prince George SPCA has had to put down nearly 1,500 cats so far this year, according to shelter manager Jeannine Woodhouse.
Year to date, 1,750 cats have been brought into the shelter of which 50 have been claimed and another 207 have been shipped out to other shelters where they're more likely to be adopted. About 85 remained at the shelter as of Wednesday.

More than 2,000 cats are put down in a typical year, Woodhouse said, but given an influx this year, that total could rise.

Prior to a program meant to help low-income families pay for neutering and spaying their cats and dogs being eliminated in December when $50,000 of lottery money was taken away from the shelter, Woodhouse said about 350 animals, including dogs, were coming into the shelter. Since then, the rate has been about 500 and most of that increase is cats.

"People are saying 'no we can't afford to get them fixed,' so we have to deal with the influx," Woodhouse said.

The program saw the SPCA provide subsidies of $25 to $50, with the veterinarian matching that total, with the owner paying the balance. All Mobile, one of the veterinary clinics in Prince George, currently charges $72 for a neutering and $120 for spaying a young cat, while dogs cost between $138 and $204 for spaying and $110 and $154 for neutering depending on the size.

Vaccinations can run up to $130 for an animal about to go under the procedure, but All Mobile manager Ramona Beacon said it's still cheaper than the cost of dealing with a disease that could have been prevented with shots.

Woodhouse has been trying to get a full-time veterinarian into the shelter. The SPCA's Vancouver Hospital charges considerably less than the going rates in Prince George.

A better fate awaits dogs going to the shelter. So far this year, 1,400 have been brought in of which less than 300 had to be put down only because of temperament or health problems.

"Out of those 300, probably 200 surrendered them because they can't afford treatment," said Woodhouse.

Another 200 were shipped out to shelters in the Lower Mainland for adoption.

"Almost all our dogs are snatched up very quickly, because almost all the dogs down there that end up in a shelter are not highly adoptable," she said. "We get the highly adoptable ones. We just don't have enough people to adopt them."

Either way, Woodhouse says she would like to see the day when the number of stray animals is so small, her job is no longer needed.

"Please put me out of business," she said. "Fix your animals."