The British Columbia SPCA funded a record number of spay and neuter surgeries for cats in communities across the province in 2014.
A major focus on the BC SPCA's five-year Strategic Plan is ensuring every cat in B.C. has a loving home, yet there are tens of thousands of felines across the province who live outdoors, facing several predators and dangers. With a total of 4,600 surgeries in 2014, the organization has more than doubled its surgeries since 2012 (2,150).
"It is such great news," said Amy Morris, BC SPCA policy and outreach officer. "While we can't control the number of cats who are abandoned or born outside, we certainly do our best to reduce those numbers, which ultimately means far fewer cats who don't have warm, loving homes."
To help combat British Columbia's cat crisis, the BC SPCA works with donors, volunteers, veterinarians, partner organizations and cat advocates through several community programs designed to help spay and neuter outdoor cats, among many other initiatives.
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According to a study conducted for the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, many more homes are required to resolve the cat crisis in Canada with increasing numbers of strays, ferals, sheltered and homeless cats.
At Summit 2012, CFHS chief executive officer, Barbara Cartwright, presented a study exhibiting the overpopulation of cats in Canada. This pioneering multi-stakeholder report was released yesterday and warns that the animal sheltering system is at or near capacity to care for the cats that arrive at their doors.
The data reveals that cats entering the sheltering system have less than a 1% chance of being reunited with their families compared with dogs which have a 30% chance.
“We undertook this research to better understand the negative consequences of cat overpopulation including homelessness, overburdened Shelters and rescues, and euthanasia for space and illness,” said Cartwright. The report compiles the data from 478 stakeholders across the country including humane societies, SPCAs, municipalities, veterinarians, rescues, trap-neuter-return groups and spay/neuter organizations.
At the time of the research there were an estimated 10.2 million cats in Canada. Cats are more popular than dogs as companion animals and their ownership rate is increasing at a rate of 3.6% annually while dog ownership is decreasing. Cats were found in 37.7% of households compared to 29.1% who owned a dog. This is similar to data collected in the 2010 National Urban Animal Report by PetLynx, which found that 35% of households in Canada have a cat and 32% have a dog.
The CFHS has identified requirements needed to end cat overpopulation including more accessible and affordable spay/neuter surgeries, increased education about the crisis, adequately funded enforcement, increased adoption strategies and responsible ownership initiatives.
“There is no single stakeholder or group responsible for the problem or finding the solution," said Cartwright. "It is truly a community problem that requires a community effort to resolve.”
