Feral cats will increase as vet clinics shut down
AB.C. animal-welfare advocate is anticipating an increase in the number of feral cats because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kathy Powelson, executive director of the Paws for Hope Animal Foundation, said that programs across the province that are meant to curb the population of feral cats have stopped due to the health situation.
These programs are generally called trap-neuter-return, which animal-rights advocates describe as a humane approach to the feral-cat issue.
“The concern is that we will see a significant increase in the number of feral and free-roaming cats because there’s not going to be that spay and neutering,” Powelson told the Straight in a phone interview.
Powelson also noted that “as the weather gets warmer, we’ll see more kittens being born”.
“And so there’s going to be a significant increase in community cat population,” she added.
Feral cats are the offspring of abandoned cats and have never lived with human beings. They grow up fending for themselves.
Powelson said veterinary service is no longer available to spay and neuter feral cats because of the novelcoronavirus outbreak.
She explained that trap-neuterreturn involves trapping a bunch of feral cats and getting them into a veterinary clinic for spaying and neutering.
The cats are later released to where they were trapped.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Powelson said, veterinary clinics have put in place protocols to keep their staff safe.
That means animal-welfare groups cannot have mass spaying and neutering anymore.
According to the Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders, feral cats are a growing concern in cities. On its website, the group noted that feral cats multiply quickly and can spread diseases to other animals.
“Cats breed rapidly, and one cat and its offspring can produce 420,000 cats in seven years, with two or three litters per year,” the website notes.
According to the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a five-month-old kitten can get pregnant and give birth to four offspring.
The BCSPCA notes online that there is strong public support for nonlethal management of feral cats. The organization noted that trapneuter-return programs have been increasing over the past 25 years.
The BCSPCA notes that both housed and feral cats have a “significant impact on wildlife by predating birds and small mammals”.
The group also reminds people that abandoning cats is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Powelson said that controlling the population of feral cats is a matter of animal welfare.
“Having to fend for themselves is a very cruel life,” Powelson said.
According to Powelson, some people think feral cats can be left on their own, which is wrong.
“Some people assume that cats can live on their own. But...they’re domestic animals. They’re meant to be cared for by people.”