Spay, neuter aid suggested

Last year, the Comox Valley SPCA took in 603 cats and kittens and had to euthanize 103 of the animals.

The BCSPCA is hoping to lower that number by providing a fund to help low-income residents access spaying and neutering services.

BC SPCA animal welfare co-ordinator Geoff Urton and local branch manager Tricia DeBruyne presented a proposal to Courtenay council for a spay/neuter grant program for low-income residents Monday.

Fewer people are choosing to spay or neuter their pets than 10 or 15 years ago, noted Urton.

“There are literally thousands of kittens and puppies from around the province that have to be euthanized because they generally become sick in conditions where we have overcrowding in our shelters, and there are many more that are actually just abandoned,” he said.

The BC SPCA cares for almost 40,000 animals every year.

“The summer is the most difficult for us where, because of the breeding cycles of cats, our shelters are literally flooded with cats, and staff has to make very difficult decisions about whether we’re going to accept all of them into our shelters and how we create space for these animals,” said Urton.

“There are thousands more animals around the province that are just dumped. It’s a major problem.”

Last year, the Comox Valley shelter took in 944 animals. Of these, 603 were cats and kittens, and 103 of these cats and kittens had to be euthanized.

The Comox Valley shelter took in 341 dogs and puppies last year, and 11 had to be euthanized.

“There is still an issue here (with dogs), but it’s not quite in a crisis state like it is with cats,” said Urton. “We’re able to find homes for most of the dogs that come to us, and there isn’t this sort of rampant, uncontrolled breeding in the community of dogs as there is of cats.”

The BC SPCA has found that throughout North America, the most effective way of addressing pet overpopulation has been providing funding for low-income residents to help them spay and neuter their animals.

“Low-income residents are the most likely to not spay or neuter their pets,” said Urton, noting affordability, accessibility and attitude are the top three barriers.

The BC SPCA is proposing that the city contribute to a spay/neuter fund targeted to low-income pet owners.

Grants are provided in other communities such as Burnaby, Kamloops and Nanaimo ranging from $7,500 to $40,000, and Campbell River is investigating the feasibility of implementing this type of fund, Urton noted in a submission to council.

“In other communities that have done this kind of program, they’ve definitely seen decreases in all these other health and safety issues you see in communities as a result of stray animals,” he said.

Following Urton’s presentation, council asked staff to prepare a report looking into the feasibility of providing a spay/neuter fund.

writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com

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