Mobile Spay & Neuter Clinic Helps In Local Effort For Feral Cats

By Laurie Borst

Last month The Animal Center and Spay and Neuter Association of Newtown (SNAN) teamed up with Tait’s Every Animal Matters (TEAM) mobile clinic to offer reduced rate spay/neuter and vaccination services for cat owners/feeders in Newtown and Sandy Hook.

The Animal Center applied for a grant from the state’s Feral Cat Grant Program. Funds received made it possible to offer the services for $10 per cat instead of TEAM’s usual $67, a substantial savings in and of itself. For the fee, cats receive a brief exam, spay/neuter, vaccinations (rabies, distemper, upper/lower respiratory infection), nail trim and ear mite treatment (if necessary). Medication to control parasites such as worms, fleas, and ticks is also available.

“The Animal Population Control Program [APCP] has been providing low cost spay/neuter since the late 80s — when an animal is adopted from a shelter,” said Monica Roberto, cofounder of The Animal Center. “Their rules applied only to adopted pets — ferals can’t be socialized and, therefore, don’t get adopted.”

The rules changed and money provided through APCP is now available as grants to be used for any animals. Recently, 11 recipients in Connecticut shared $40,000. The Animal Center received approximately $2,000 for veterinary services.

TEAM is the only mobile spay/neuter facility for cats in Connecticut. As of early October, 94,637 cats had been sterilized/treated by TEAM. For more information on TEAM, visit everyanimalmatters.org.

Approximately 40 cats were brought in to be sterilized during the Newtown clinic. Most were domestic cats with homes. About a quarter of that number were feral cats that were captured for “TNR” — trap/neuter/release.

In the past, shelters and animal welfare groups euthanized stray and feral cats. This has lead to five million cats and dogs in shelters being killed every year in the United States. There are far more cats than homes available. Feral cats can not be socialized and placed in homes.

TNR is a way to address the problem of overpopulation. If a colony of feral cats is killed, research shows that another colony will take over the territory. If the cats are sterilized, they remain in the area, but no longer reproduce. See feralcats.com/FAQ.aspx for more facts about feral cats.

Overpopulation of feral cats is a growing problem. Most of these cats began life as pets, but due to illness, allergy, or blatant disregard, they have been abandoned by their owners. They are left to fend for themselves. Kind-hearted souls will feed ferals and strays.

“The problem starts with unspayed female domestic cats,” Ms Roberto explained. “We say: ‘Feeding a stray? Neuter or spay.’

“Taking an animal to a shelter does not help the problem. If we invest in spay/neuter then we won’t need shelters. Shelters should be a last measure,” she added.

These stray/feral cats are often still fertile. Cats can start having kittens at 4 months of age, and can get pregnant while nursing a litter.

The gestation period for cats is from 57 to 69 days. Cats can come into estrus (heat) multiple times in a year.

Cats fertility is attuned to longer amounts of daylight. Some housecats have had litters in December and February, but, in wild, litters usually are delivered between March and August.

Ms Roberto states, “We find ferals have up to two litters per year with an average of four kittens each time.”

Limiting factors, i.e., predation, amount of food available, mortality rate, help keep numbers in check. Feral kittens have a 60 percent mortality rate under 6 months of age.

Dr Julie Levy, a Florida veterinarian and advocate for feral cats, bases estimate of ferals on the number of human households, multiplied by .5.

Ms Roberto said, “This leads to inflated numbers [up] here. Winters tend to reduce populations [as opposed to the milder climate in Florida]. We estimate the feral cat population in Newtown at about 5,000.

“It’s hard to know for sure. The nature of cats, especially ferals, is that they are elusive. They shy away from people,” she qualified.

“The Animal Center was founded in 2004. We didn’t start looking for funding opportunities until after our first year,” Ms Roberto said. “Most grant providers want to see a year’s worth of financial records to see how a group handles its money.

“The Animal Center aims to provide complementary services, not competitive ones. SNAN helps owned and stray cats and dogs. The Animal Center works for stray and feral cats. We raise money to help with vet bills. We humanely trap the cats and get them to veterinarians for spay or neuter and vaccinations and worming.”

The Animal Center uses foster homes for kittens. Ms Roberto explained that cats and kittens must be kept separate. Kittens’ immune systems are still developing. They can get sick easily in shelters.

The Animal Center is nearing 150 feral kittens socialized and adopted. The Animal Center will take an animal back at any time if a problem arises after the adoption.