I read a study somewhere (Save Our Strays - maybe?) which reported one of the largest sources of unwanted kittens were cats that had been adopted from shelters before being 'fixed'. even when the new owners were given a voucher for a free s/n at a local vet, they simply didn't get around to it. Making sure the cats were fixed before they left the shelter was the #1 way to reduce unwanted births.

Also read somewhere recently of a 'burb that passed a law requiring all cats to be fixed unless you had a breeder's permit. (might have been a Cleveland suburb) But it struck me as silly - how would you enforce it?

right after I got Romes, the town I was living in passed a leash law for cats to reduce the number of loose cats. All cats found outside not on a leash were subject to seizure. Romes was leash trained but the law was totally ignored.

But its not all bleak news. I've read that in the mid-70's there were an average of 16 million cats and 20 million dogs put to sleep every year. The article went on to say in recent years the USA has averaged 7-8 million - total. Not good, but much, much better. It shows we can make huge strides forward.

Trying to find a lost cost clinic for someone recently I discovered there is a vet who runs her own mobile s/n unit. She is running all over the state which makes me think there is enough business for a least one more vet in this state alone. But I wonder what the start up costs run.

This is a conversation my mom and I have had several times this summer. My parents have lived in the same house for 40 years but this summer there were more stray cats then they have seen in the last 20 combined. (4 new kittens tonight alone!) The couple across the street do TNR but haven't been able to catch Molly Kitty's mom. She had two litters last summer, two this summer. Interesting to note, the skunk population has exploded too. I have no idea where they are getting their food.

It's a complex problem with no easy answer but I've noticed many of the more successful shelters in my area have some way of funding low cost to no cost s/n outreach programs.

And to kick and stumble over a delicate point - I'm a huge fan of the spay before adoption programs. Several years ago I worked with a well intentioned owner of several outdoor cats. The girls were going in right after the family vacation. While they were gone, the local tomcat made a very noisy, public visit which the family heard about when they go back. Being religious, the owner decided to not spay the cats because it would send the wrong message to kids. No provisions made for the kits though. If the original cat adopted to the family had been spayed......

Purrs,
Elizabeth

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