Managing cat numbers

Cats can breed very rapidly, which means that there aren’t enough homes for them all. Some may end up living in poor conditions, some are taken to shelters to be euthanased.

South Australia has passed legislation requiring all cats born after July 1 2018 to be desexed. This law is not doubt a well-intentioned attempt to control cat numbers. However, the problem will not be solved by a legislative approach. Why?

  • Responsible cat owners already have their cats desexed, they don’t need legislation.

  • Irresponsible cat owners are likely to ignore the law and leave their cats undesexed.

  • The biggest problem by far is that the law doesn’t address semi-owned cats.

So what is a semi-owned cat? Here is how the government describes it (1):

“With more than half a million unowned cats in South Australia, and thousands of good-hearted cat-lovers out there, many people are feeding strays. If a stray cat turns up at your door for a meal, then goes about its business again, it qualifies as a ‘semi-owned’ cat.”

How many people feed a stray (semi-owned) cat?

Having a semi-owned cat is remarkably common, no doubt because there are a lot of “good-hearted cat-lovers” and a lot of stray cats for them to take pity on.

  • In a telephone survey of randomly selected Victorians, 22% of respondents fed a cat they didn’t perceive to be theirs (2).

  • In a telephone survey of randomly selected South Australians, 5% of respondents were currently feeding at least one semi-owned cat, while 21% had done so in the past. Thus, a total of 26% had a semi-owned cat at some point in time (3).

  • In an internet survey of around 1000 Australians associated with cats in some way, 65% of respondents had an owned cat and 35% had a semi-owned cat (4).

The problem with semi-owned cats is that no-one accepts responsibility for desexing them. The majority of owned cats are already desexed, while the majority of semi-owned cats are not. For example, a South Australian survey showed that 80% of owned cats are desexed (5).

  • In the internet survey previously mentioned, 98% of owned cats were desexed, compared to 47% of semi-owned cats (4).

  • Only 20% of semi-owned cats were desexed by their feeders in Victoria (2), and this figure was 16% in South Australia (3).

Given that a lot of households have a semi-owned cat, no management plan will succees unless it recognises these cats, as recognised by the RSPCA in its report on best practice cat management:

“Cat management plans and strategies should recognise semi-owned cats as a separate category to unowned cats and ensure that cat semi-owners are specifically targeted in education, desexing and other relevant cat management programs.” (6, Rec 8)

Relationships with semi-owned cats

Kindness is the main motivation to feed a stray cat. In a Victorian study, 63% of semi-owners fed cats due to concern for their welfare, so they are unlikely to stop doing so if told to (2). There feelings are summed up well in a US study of feeders:

“The major reason people began feeding free-roaming cats was sympathy or pity for a hungry, injured or unhealthy free-roaming cat. Others cared for free-roaming cats out of affection for cats or animals in general”. (7, p.1629)

In South Australia, 73% of semi- owners would not take the cat to a shelter (5). Semi-owners may be difficult to engage with because they are distrustful of cat management authorities (6). When the official approach is: don’t feed cats, take them to a shelter, where they may be euthanased, it is unlikely to be successful due to the protective feelings and non-compliance of the feeders. In addition, it comes with high financial and psychological costs.

Costs of the euthanasia approach

Cats entering shelters can become out of sight out of mind to the general community. However, shelter staff have to deal with the mostly healthy and friendly cats and litters of kittens and euthanasing them carries a high psychological cost.

Holding cats in shelters for the required amount of time before euthanasia also carries a high financial cost.

“Management of excess domestic cats in Australian society is a financial burden to the community, with local government spending an estimated A$82 million annually on management strategies. It is estimated that A$180 million is spent annually by animal welfare agencies to manage the problem of excess pets.” (8, p.35)

The Gold Coast Council provides an example of what can be achieved by a different approach, based on low-cost desexing. Gold Coast city has a population of 0.5 million residents and is growing. In 2001/2, 50% of cats entering the council pound were euthanased, compared to 8% in 2016/7. This approach not only is better for animal welfare and has community support, it is also cheaper for the council. Catch-hold for 4 days-euthanase (CHE) costs $220 per cat and $260 per litter, whereas desexing costs the council $60. In addition, subsidised desexing is more effective in controlling cat numbers than CHE (9).

Models for humane and effective action

There is general agreement among Australian researchers that mandatory desexing will not solve the problem of stray cats, nor will the CHE approach. Rather, what is required is low-cost or no-cost desexing, targeted at areas of greatest need.

Various approaches have been trialed in the US:

  • Low income clients make a small co-payment to participating vets, and the state government reimburses the vets for the rest. (10)

  • A not-for-profit organisation in conjunction with a city council runs a free mobile desexing clinic which targets problem postcode areas on particular days. (10)

  • A desexing clinic run by a welfare organisation has no strict criteria, but asks clients to pay whatever they can afford. (11)

Banyule city council around Greensborough in Victoria organises free desexing with transport. As described on the council web site (12)

“Council runs a free cat desexing program twice a year. Open to all Banyule residents, this regular program gives you the chance to help reduce Banyule’s stray cat population and also do your bit for your cat, other residents and our native bird and animal population without it hitting your hip pocket.”

The program has been so successful in reducing unwanted litters that the budget for the program was doubled. (12)

The SPCA runs a Snip ‘n Chip program, where cat guardians pay $10 to have cats desexed and micro-chipped (13). Twenty vets in various areas participate in the program, which continues until all the available vouchers at a given time have been taken up.

To effectively manage the cat population, it is essential to have affordable desexing programs targeting semi-owned cats. The easiest way to achieve this goal is to establish a fund to which charities can apply for specific projects. Charities already undertake desexing, and could do more with additional funding. After surgery, cats are returned to their original location, where they will be continue to be fed, but will no longer breed to add to the stray population
.

References

  1. DEW (2018). How you can help a stray cat with more than just a meal, at https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/goodliving/posts/2018/05/stray-cats

  2. Toukhsati, S., Coleman, G. & Bennett, P. (2005). Community attitudes towards semi-owned cats – opportunities for education. Urban Animal Management Conference Proceedings, downloaded from http://aiam.org.au/resources/Documents/2005%20UAM/PUB_Pro05_Toukhsati.pdf Feb 12 2019

  3. Sharpe, A. (2009). Semi-owned cat attitudes and behaviours in South Australia. . Dog and Cat Management Board South Australia

  4. Zito S., Vankan D., Bennett P., Paterson M., Phillips C. (2015). Cat Ownership Perception and Caretaking Explored in an Internet Survey of People Associated with Cats. PLoS ONE, 10 (7)

  5. Kapulski, N. (2014). Cat owners’ survey 2014. Dog and Cat Management Board South Australia

  6. RSPCA (2018). Identifying best practice cat management in Australia. https://kb.rspca.org.au/file/165/?f=1 April 14 2019

  7. Centonze L. & Levy, J. (2002). Characteristics of free-roaming cats and their caretakers. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 220 (11) 1627-1633

  8. Alberthsen, C., Rand, J., Bennett, P. Paterson, M., Lawrie, M. & Morton, J. (2013). Cat admissions to RSPCA shelters in Queensland, Australia: description of cats and risk factors for euthanasia after entry. Australian Veterinary Journal, 9 (1-2) 35-42

  9. National Desexing Network (2018). The Benefits of Councils Funding Cooperative Desexing Programs. Downloaded from https://ndn.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/The-Benefits-of-Councils-Funding-Cooperative-Desexing-Programs-20.3.18-Update-Copy-2.pdf?x53042 Feb 12 2019

  10. White, S., Jefferson, E. & Levy, J. (2010). Impact of publicly sponsored neutering programs on animal population dynamics at animal shelters: the New Hampshire and Austin experiences. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 13 191-212

  11. Scarlett J. & Johnston, N. (2012). Impact of a subsidized spay neuter clinic on impoundments and euthanasia in a community shelter and on service and complaint calls to animal control. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 15 53-69

  12. Banyule City Council. Pet problems and owner responsibility, at https://www.banyule.vic.gov.au/Services/Pets-and-Animals/Responsible-Pet-Ownership

  13. SPCA (2021). SPCA launches animal desexing campaigns in regions across New Zealand, at https://www.spca.nz/news-and-events/news-article/snipnchipnovember