Changes to spaying program raise concerns

Doubling the cost to neuter female cats could cause more overpopulation, not less, advocate says

Jessica Rendell of Heavenly Creatures says changes to the City of St. John’s spaying and neutering program could make it harder for low-income families to have healthy pets.

Currently, the program offers spaying and neutering of male and female cats for $97.75 each. While the cost to neuter a male cat will remain the same, the cost of neutering female cats will almost double to $180.

“The current application system is not targeting animals who are major contributors in overpopulation and instead has created long surgical wait times,” reads the note.

“In order to target these specific cats the program needs to be revised.”

The cost of spaying and neutering pets in the current program hasn’t gone up since it was introduced in 2008, while costs at other shelters, like the SPCA, have risen by up to 73 per cent.

Applications to the program will be opened up four times a year in blocks, with 30 applications being accepted at a time, with one application allowed per household.

Dogs will no longer be spayed or neutered through the program, as city staff say there are no overpopulation issues with dogs in the capital city.

City council unanimously approved the changes in principle at Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. The proposal will be finalized at an upcoming Monday city council meeting.

Rendell is concerned that while the goal of the changes is to keep the pet population down, the price changes may make the program less accessible to low-income pet owners.

“I can only suspect that what this is going to translate into is that more people won’t be able to afford to get their pets fixed, which will in turn mean the cat population — which is already out of control — will get that much bigger,” Rendell said.

“The city’s rationale is that the SPCA is charging to spay a female cat. As someone who regularly speaks with lowincome people, there are an awful lot of people who are low-income who can’t afford the $180 the SPCA charges, so they go to the city instead. Now that’s not an option.”

Rendell says a frequent comment she hears when people talk about low-income families owning pets is that if they can’t afford the neutering costs, they shouldn’t have a pet at all. She says that perspective misses the point.

“People have always had children and animals, regardless of their socioeconomic status, and they will continue to do that,” she said.

“These animals exist whether or not there are programs. The crucial difference is that when these programs exist, there are fewer animals suffering because of them.”

More than population concerns, Rendell says there are health concerns that spaying or neutering a pet can have, such as uterus infections that primarily affect cats over the age of five.

Rendell says she would have liked to see the city hire another veterinarian to handle both emergency cases and the spaying and neutering program.

“They really do need a second vet and enough space where that second vet can work,” she said.

Rendell says she will contact councillors ahead of the confirming vote to see what adjustments can be made to the proposal.