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Shelter forced to euthanize more cats

Fewer Winnipeggers adopting stray felines

By: Jen Skerritt

Posted: 04/1/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

JOHN.WOODS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image

The Winnipeg Humane Society euthanized 2,549 cats last year, a 22 per cent increase from the year before.

The city's largest animal shelter saw a 22 per cent spike in the number of cats it euthanized last year after fewer Winnipeggers adopted lost or stray felines.

Winnipeg Humane Society euthanized 2,549 cats in 2010, marking a 22 per cent increase from 2009. Humane society executive director Bill McDonald blamed the increase on the rising number of homeless cats coming into the shelter, noting it's the first time since the mid-1990s the shelter put down more cats than it was able to adopt out.

Last year, 2,333 cats were adopted, down from 2,765 from the previous year.

McDonald said he doesn't know why fewer people adopted cats, but the problem speaks to the need for a better strategy to deal with the growing number of unwanted cats. While the shelter only puts down dogs for medical reasons or if they are considered overly aggressive, McDonald said it's a "sad reality" cats are sometimes euthanized when they run out of space. At one point last July, he said the shelter housed 455 cats, more than 190 over capacity.

"Cats are a bigger issue than dogs. Dogs are more controlled than ever before," McDonald said. "We know there are tons of stray cats out there."

The city is currently drafting a report on responsible pet ownership, which is expected to be completed in the coming months.

McDonald said he would be in favour of licensing cats, if the money collected from them was put toward low-cost spay and neuter programs that could put a dent in the current pet overpopulation problem. Currently, the humane society performs about 6,000 low-cost spay and neuters every year.

However, McDonald said, cities such as Calgary have adopted a more robust animal-control program, where 22 animal-control officers crack down and fine people who do not properly license their cat. In turn, he said, the money from licences is put toward a low-cost spay and neuter program that targets 10,000 animals every year.

By comparison, McDonald said, Winnipeg has three dedicated animal-control officers, who spend the bulk of some days picking up injured animals from city streets.

"Our guys are basically animal ambulance drivers," McDonald said.

This year, McDonald said, the shelter will focus on encouraging more Winnipeggers to adopt cats in an effort to reduce the number of animals euthanized. The shelter has already hosted theme nights, where people who dress up in pajamas, for example, can adopt a cat for $25, a fraction of the regular adoption fee. In June, the shelter plans to launch Barn Buddies, which will find homes for cats that are better-suited to barns than houses, since they are good hunters and can hunt rodents.

"I maintain that if there wasn't organizations like the Winnipeg Humane Society and other shelters, there wouldn't be a single person driving to work in the morning without passing a dead animal on the street," he said.

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Cats and dogs

Number of cats admitted to shelter

2010: 6,083

2009: 6,007

Number of cats euthanized

2010: 2,549

2009: 2,081

Number of cats adopted

2010: 2,333

2009: 2,765

Number of dogs admitted to shelter

2010: 1,799

2009: 2,091

Number of dogs euthanized

2010: 191

2009: 208

Number of dogs adopted

2010: 1,151

2009: 1,370

--Source: Winnipeg Humane Society, 2010 statistics

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 1, 2011 A8

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