The Kamloops Daily News
Saturday, May 21, 2005

Letters to the Editor

Crowded SPCA made cat crisis even worse

As the chairwoman of the Kamloops SPCA’s community advisory committee, I am writing further to your May 13 article about the recent feline distemper outbreak at our shelter.

The staff has gone above and beyond during this very difficult time, as was mentioned. However, the volunteers as well as the staff have put aside their sadness and grief to protect the animals that remain. When a disease like this appears, a tremendous amount of work must be done, and done very quickly, to minimize as much as possible the impact on the other animals in the shelter.

As always, our staff and volunteers have pulled together. The decisions made during this time have been enormously difficult, but all decisions have been made with the best interests of all of the community’s animals at the forefront.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the absolute necessity of vaccinating, spaying and neutering their companion animals. If companion animals are not vaccinated, they are at risk for many diseases that can have devastating, even fatal, results. Even if companion animals are kept primarily indoors, they need to be protected.

Spaying and neutering is also a crucial part of pet health and guardianship. One of the reasons this outbreak of feline distemper has occurred, and affected as many animals as it has, is because of the vast numbers of animals that pass through our shelter.

The more animals that are being cared for in a shelter situation, the quicker a disease will spread. At the onset of this disease, the Kamloops SPCA was caring for more than 160 cats and kittens. At this time of year, that number is not uncommon.

If everyone spayed and neutered their cats (and other animals) before they become sexually mature, the numbers of abandoned, stray, and surrendered animals would be greatly reduced. If we have fewer unwanted animals, when a disease like this strikes, the impact will be much less.

As well, veterinarians advise that the biggest reason for feline distemper outbreaks is failure to spay and neuter. This is largely due to the number of outdoor cats, particularly colonies of cats turned loose because they are unwanted, who create an endemic disease situation.

Remember, the SPCA has tough decisions to make. No one wants to make those decisions but they must be made to decrease the suffering of the animals and to give other animals in the shelter and the community a better chance for a life of good health and welfare,

Lindsay Curry
Chairwoman, Community Advisory Committee
Kamloops Branch, B.C. SPCA