BEAVER TOWNSHIP Shelter offers deal to stem cat population explosion

Spaying and neutering are the only way to kill the crisis.
By JOHN SKENDALL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Spring means kitten season and a Beaver Township animal shelter says it already has more furry friends than it knows what to do with.
With the second huge wave of new kittens on the way, Angels for Animals is offering a two-for-the-price-of-one deal to get stray cats spayed and neutered-before they have kittens -- and more kittens.
"It's like the rain," said shelter director Polly Wardle, who said Angels has been receiving calls at a frantic rate from people whose generosity to a hungry backyard stray during winter has led to a litter of problems.
"The cat situation is horrible."
As one of only a few cat-serving shelters in the area, Angels gets 25 to 30 of these calls daily and is offered up to 200 cats a day that need homes, employees said.
Full capacity
The shelter veterinarians say they are filled to the brim with felines and cannot accept any more cats that are simply dumped off and left for the shelter to find the cats a home.
Angels has 150 cats in its facility waiting for adoption and an additional 250 cats in the "foster care" system. In foster care, the cat becomes healthy and receives treatment at no cost to the do-gooder "foster parent."
Already the 400 cats in Angels' care are enough to last them through the summer, Wardle said. Only about three or four cats are adopted from the shelter per week.
"Spaying and neutering is the bullet that will kill this problem," said Angels behavioral director and co-founder Diane Less-Baird.
Employees say the problem in the Valley will only escalate if the rash of unwanted cat births continues.
"Cats are extremely prolific," Wardle said.
The veterinarian noted that a cat will have at least three to four litters between spring and fall, if given the chance.
At 6 months old, a cat is already able to reproduce, she said. And after a swift 63-day gestation period, a cat can get pregnant again four days after giving birth.
In case those numbers aren't startling, Wardle said one cat allowed to reproduce for six years can create 420,000 cats. This happens from a growing pyramid of kittens having kittens that have kittens, and on and on.
Two-for-one
To combat the problem, Angels for Animals is encouraging people to bring in not one, but two stray cats to be spayed or neutered and only pay the single-procedure fee of $60. The fee covers AIDS and leukemia testing, flea treatment, de-worming and rabies vaccination.
Those who find a stray also can become foster parents to the cat or have the option of having the cat euthanized.
Adopting a cat at the shelter costs $90 and the cat is guaranteed to be healthy and friendly, Wardle said. This price actually buys $400 to $450 of medical care, including disease testing, vaccination, flea treatment, clipping and combing to keep the cat healthy.
Each cat is also examined for good temperament by the behaviorist.
Euthanization
So what happens when there are simply too many cats to take care of? Wardle said they have to euthanize.
Currently, Angels euthanizes only feral (wild) cats, cats with fatal contagious disease, and those that arrive sick and suffering. When the numbers get too great, workers have to kill cats that have only slight medical problems.
Since they have not gotten to this point yet, there is still a chance to save healthy cats from being killed if locals do their part, Less-Baird said. If you find a stray, or two, take them in to be spayed or neutered before they have kittens, she urged.
The Angels for Animals is located on state Route 165 in Beaver Township, and provides adoption and treatment of strays. The shelter is funded by donation and fundraisers. Call the shelter at (330) 549-1111 or contact your local veterinarian.