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By Aaron Schulze

Cat Overpopulation

BC SPCA says education and neutering can address Kamloops’ cat overpopulation problem

Oct 17, 2021 | 4:46 PM

KAMLOOPS — Last year, 78 per cent of the BC SPCA’s total feline intake came from the City of Kamloops.

That’s according to a delegation request sent to Kamloops Council from the BC SPCA Kamloops and District Branch ahead of Tuesday’s (Oct. 19) council meeting. The branch serves the Thompson Nicola Regional District, composed of 11 municipalities and 10 electoral areas, with a population of just over 120,000, with approximately 90,000 residing in the City of Kamloops.

Over the last five years, the Kamloops BC SPCA says it took in an average 836 cats per year, with 54 per cent of them kittens. The SPCA says the number has been steadily increasing year over year, with a significant annual growth in the number of owner-surrendered kittens coming into care.

In 2019, Kamloops BC SPCA says it undertook a community assessment to determine how to address the issue of the region’s cat overpopulation. The SPCA came up with a multi-faceted approach, including education, community engagement, and increased spaying and neutering for both owned and unowned cats.

The SPCA’s assessment says that financial costs were the primary barrier for people accessing veterinary care within the City of Kamloops, and the importance of pairing up any programming with education and raising the value of cats. The BC SPCA launched a program for low-income families within the city where cats will receive a spay/neuter surgery, primary vaccines, and a microchip. The BC SPCA Kamloops Spay Neuter Clinic will prioritize appointments for this program over the coming months to ensure they can meet the needs from the community.

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“Over the past decade, there has been inconsistent programming to help community members spay or neuter their cats and there is currently no program available,” the Kamloops BC SPCA states. “A PetSmart Charities of Canada grant of $50,000 fixed 400 cats in 2019. These surgeries were provided specifically to the neighbourhoods of the North Shore and Brocklehurst, due to the high stray cat intake and low-income level of these areas. The BC SPCA branch did TrapNeuter-Return work in areas outside of Kamloops in previous years, but halted this work in 2018 given the work was primarily being done on staff’s personal time.”

A consistent theme throughout interviews with Kamloops BC SPCA stakeholders was the need to focus on education to create long-term change in the communities. The SPCA adds relationships and partnerships with veterinarians, social services, local governments, and other stakeholders are varied.

The full delegation will be at Tuesday’s council meeting starting at 1:30 p.m.