Bonnyville spay and neuter clinic back another year

SPCA and M.D. targeting Ardmore area with this year’s program.

The Bonnyville and District SPCA is hosting its spay and neuter clinic for a second year, this time with a focus on addressing feral cat populations.

Unlike last year, the program will be focused on targeting a specific area within the M.D. to address overpopulation, with the focus on Ardmore which has been identified as a prime source for cats coming into shelters.

“Instead of accepting cats from all around the M.D. we’re going to hone in on identifiable areas of issue,” said shelter manager Judith Rodriquez.

“That way we’ll have better chances of seeing results earlier, so we’re going to try and do males and females from the Ardmore area.”

Rodriquez stressed the program is focused on barn or feral cats and not for pets, which she says can be taken care of by their owners, and won’t qualify for the program if brought in.

It was also mentioned that it could take a few years for any results to be noticed.

Fifty-six cats were either spayed or neutered last year, which helped M.D. council see the program’s merit and decide it was worth continuing, providing an additional $5,000 in funding for the spay and neuter clinic.

“Originally it was handled privately through a group of volunteers, and then we passed it over to the Bonnyville SPCA because they have the ability to leverage the funds and get grants to expand on it,” said Reeve Greg Sawchuk.

While Ardmore is the clinic’s current focus, the area being serviced could expand if not enough cats are coming in from Ardmore.

Gender percentage will also factor in which cats receive attention.

“The surgery is much faster for the guys than the girls,” said Rodriguez. “If we have 50 per cent females and 50 per cent males, that’s not what the vets are going to be looking for because they take longer to do surgery for the females and they want to move fast.”

Applications are to be sent to email bonnyvillespca2000@gmail.com and are being accepted by email only this year.

Anyone approved for the clinic will be contacted. An address within the Ardmore area must be included and between two to four cats can be brought in.