Report warns of cat populations
Of the nearly 2,500 cats dropped off at the Regina Humane Society this year, less than half will be adopted or returned to their owners.
Save for the 167 felines currently awaiting adoption, the remainder were euthanized for medical reasons. Comparatively, an overwhelming 82 per cent of dogs brought to the shelter either find new homes or are reclaimed by their owners.
“Unfortunately, I think a lot of people consider cats to be almost disposable,” said RHS spokesman Don Simons.
The disparity between adopted cats and dogs is not limited to Regina.
According to a new report from the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, more than 600,000 cats were left abandoned in Canadian shelters last year. On average, 44 per cent of cats are adopted from shelters. The study found that twice as many cats than dogs are taken to a shelter in the first place, and cats are less likely to be reunited with their owners.
“At this point, if large-scale, targeted action is not taken, the cat overpopulation problem will worsen,” the report says. “There is no one stakeholder or group responsible for the problem or finding the solution — it is truly a community problem that requires a community effort to resolve.”
The report notes that 100 per cent of Saskatchewan animal shelters that took part in the survey agreed cat overpopulation is a problem. Seventy-five per cent of provincial veterinarians who responded also concurred it is an issue.
Tiffiny Koback, shelter director for the Saskatoon Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), called the findings “shocking” and “unacceptable”. Koback, a member of the national federation of humane societies’ cat task force, said the first step toward controlling the cat population is increased sterilization. Finding new ways to offer low-cost procedures for those who cannot afford to spay or neuter their pets is also key, Koback said.
More can also be done to ensure cats do not enter the animalwelfare system to begin with. She encourages owners to make sure their felines are licensed and wear proper identification tags. After a bylaw enforcement officer brings a cat without identification to the SPCA, Koback said some owners opt to leave their animal at the shelter instead of paying the fines, which can total $300.
“People really need to take responsibility for their own animals,” Koback explained. “It is a community problem, and really to make change, the community needs to become engaged in the process ... Education is a huge piece of it.”
The task force is to continue collaborating with the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies to pinpoint how local animal-welfare groups can help alleviate the cat overpopulation problem.