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Kamloops SPCA

BC SPCA sets May 1 deadline for accepting Kamloops stray cats amid negotiations with city

Apr 16, 2024 | 11:17 AM

KAMLOOPS — The BC SPCA has set a deadline for when it could stop taking in stray cats from Kamloops and area.

If a new contract with the City of Kamloops is not signed by April 30, the SPCA says it will no longer be able to accept stray cats from Kamloops Animal Control or community members, effective May 1.

In a news release issued Tuesday (April 16), the SPCA says its service agreement to provide kenneling for stray cats expired on Dec. 31, 2023, but it continued its service to the city in good faith with the understanding a new contract would be signed. It says contract negotiations with the city have been ongoing since February 2023.

“We greatly value our relationship with the City of Kamloops and wish to continue this kenneling partnership for many years to come,” Corrie Bownick, manager of municipal animal contracts for the BC SPCA, says. “However, it is important to understand that the community grant department funded the BC SPCA’s original agreement with the City of Kamloops and we have not increased our costs to the city since 2016. Animal care costs, however, have continued to go up year over year and we’re now asking the city to recognize and compensate us as a proper kennel contractor for these important services.”