The BC SPCA is never forthright. I have been told that the latest BC SPCA yearly spay and neuter feral cat clinic resulted in the spaying and neutering of 18 cats.

18 cats. For the whole of the lower mainland one clinic a year which results in the altering of 18 cats in virtually NOTHING. The worst part of it is that it still had to be volunteer driven. The March 2005 Newsletter states the" SPCA staff and several local veterinarians volunteered their time ". The fact that veterinarians and staff had to volunteer their time shows that the actual commitment by the BC SPCA itself is negligible.

Considering the BC SPCA itself states " Across BC there are thousands of feral cats - cats abandoned by guardians - living in colonies and reproducing unchecked. These cats live short, brutal lives, often suffering from starvation, injury, disease and attack from predators. " This Newsletter shows the absolute lack of commitment of the BC SPCA to help feral and stray cats.

I co-ordinate a small spay/neuter society in Victoria. Our society spays and neuters many more than 18 stray and feral cats a month let alone a year and we pay the veterinarians involved. Last year our small society helped 1200 animals in total.

" In many communities volunteer cat lovers come together to manage feral cat colonies, caring for the animals and helping to get them spayed and neutered to prevent the cat population from growing." This part is completely true however, as we THE SMALL GROUPS volunteer our time, raise our own money, and actually trap, sterilize, care for and manage feral colonies to reduce suffering while at the same time ADVOCATE that the BC SPCA do the same in a MEANINGFUL and CONSTANT fashion. A once a year effort that helps just a few cats and that is then used as a fundraising tool is indicative of the actual effort the BC SPCA is putting in to reduce suffering by individual animals throughout the Province of BC.

I find the effort simply unforgivable.

SPCA Hospital Offers Free Clinic for Feral Cats

Across BC there are thousands of feral cats - cats abandoned by guardians - living in colonies and reproducing unchecked. These cats live short, brutal lives, often suffering from starvation, injury, disease and attack from predators. In many communities volunteer cat lovers come together to manage feral cat colonies, caring for the animals and helping to get them spayed and neutered to prevent the cat population from growing.

To assist in these efforts the BC SPCA held its second annual free Feral Cat spay/neuter clinic in March at the Society's Vancouver Animal Hospital. SPCA staff and several local veterinarians volunteered their time to spay and neuter the feral cats brought in by local rescue groups. The clinic also provided other free services such as medical examinations, identification tattoos and vaccinations for the cats.