Speaking from the trenches as one who traps community cats in our beautiful county, I am outraged that so many people still don’t get it that you must spay and neuter your pets! Curbing overpopulation of cats is a community responsibility, made clear by the mandatory spay/neuter ordinances in place everywhere in Santa Barbara County except Santa Maria and Guadalupe. And guess where the hotspots are for large colonies of stray cats!
Allowing cats (and dogs) to run free outside to breed is just wrong. So many kittens die every year from starvation, flea anemia, or being hit by cars. Those that manage to survive are unwanted and dumped at our shelters on the public’s dime, or left to fend for themselves on the streets. Others are given away to friends who also don’t spay/neuter the animals, continuing the cycle.
With all the warm weather, breeding has begun early this year. Female cats can successfully start breeding as young as four months of age and continue their whole lifespan, dropping two litters year. This is why there are so many cats running around our neighborhoods.
Every citizen can be part of the solution by “fixing” their own pets first and then encouraging friends and neighbors to do the same. To make it abundantly clear why you should do this, tune into the sounds of breeding going on under your bedroom window and visit the shelters to see all the full cages.
Come volunteer for Catalyst for Cats and work in the trenches with me. In fact there is a TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) workshop coming up on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the beautiful new Humane Society facility at 1687 W. Stowell Road, where you will be taught how to help. Call 685-1563 to find out more.
Please spay/neuter your pets now before they sneak outside to do the nasty dance in the moonlight. This is a community issue and the community needs to respond.
This article appears in Jan 23-30, 2014.
