Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Gale Katchur found herself in hot water after implying that residents should use inhumane methods to “deal” with feral cats in the area.
“In the old days when you lived on the farm…if there were cats, you threw ’em in a bag and threw ‘em in the river, or they just put ’em on the exhaust pipe,” said Katchur.
In response to Katchur’s statement, one YouTube user commented, “Hey Mayor, I grew up on the farm and we got our pets fixed. We never murdered any.”
Katchur has since apologized, stating, “As the City of Fort Saskatchewan’s mayor, I represent our community’s commitment to humane and thoughtful approaches to all issues, including animal management. I deeply regret that my comments fell short of this standard.”
She also claims that she is planning to ensure Fort Saskatchewan’s approach to managing animal populations is humane and responsible.
First, let’s address the cat in the room. Edmonton and the surrounding area, including Fort Saskatchewan, have a feral cat problem.
Edmonton has a population of about 63,000 feral cats, more than 600 of which are brought to the city’s Animal Care and Control Centre annually.
Stray and feral cats are often in horrible conditions when brought to animal shelters. While shelters do what they can to help these animals, they only have so many resources.
In 2018, Red Deer-based Klassic Kennels took in almost 30 strays in a day. Over three weeks, the shelter racked up about $20,000 in veterinary bills just for cats.
“Everybody is drowning right now. All of the rescues that I know of are either overflowing with cats or they’re overflowing with bills,” Mackenzie Deboon, Klassic Kennels’ adoption and surrender coordinator, told CBC News.
The situation hasn’t improved much since 2018. Animal shelters across the province continue to be over capacity, not just with feral cats, but all sorts of feral or abandoned animals.
Pet Abandonment After COVID-19
Irresponsible pet ownership is part of the problem. The COVID-19 pandemic saw pet ownership increase by almost 20 percent in 2020.
People wanted company and pets were the perfect solution, at least for the short term. When the pandemic passed, so too did some people’s desire to own pets.
The following year, there was an over 60 percent increase in the number of pet surrenders in Toronto, Ontario.
In 2023, droves of pet owners in Alberta tried to pass their pets off as strays at pet shelters so they could abandon their pets “guilt-free.” Not every pet ends up at a shelter, though.
Some irresponsible pet owners are simply dumping their pets outside. Last winter, two kittens were found inside a child’s backpack in a ditch on the outskirts of St. Albert.
These pet owners don’t represent the majority of Albertans who treat their pets like family and couldn’t imagine abandoning them at a shelter or worse.
Exploding feral cat populations aren’t just a product of irresponsible pet ownership. Cats breed like rabbits, contributing to overpopulation.
“Overpopulation is at the root of the cat crisis going on in Alberta. It does not take long for two cats to turn into 450 cats, unfortunately,” Rachael Finseth of the Animal Rescue Foundation told CBC News.
According to Finseth, cats can start reproducing at five months old. Cats can have up to eight kittens in a litter and produce as many as three litters in a year.
Cat reproductivity is no joke, which is why it is so important to neuter or spay your pets, especially if they are outdoor pets.
Spaying and Neutering Feral Cats
This story is pretty bleak, but rest assured: There is hope on the horizon. Ending feral cat overpopulation isn’t something that can be achieved overnight.
“Decades of progress in animal welfare have provided effective, non-lethal solutions, such as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), which help manage feral cat populations responsibly and humanely,” Liza Sunley, CEO of the Edmonton Humane Society (EHS), said in a statement.
Around this time last year, 50 feral cats were humanely trapped by the EHS as part of its first solo clinic.
The EHS clinic successfully neutered, treated for parasites, and vaccinated the cats before returning them to their colonies.
Returning the feral cats to the wild might sound counterproductive, but it’s the best option for adult feral cats.
Unlike house cats, feral cats have little to no contact with humans. They are not socialized to be around or trust people, making adoption impossible.
According to the EHS, feral cats are bonded to their colony members and survive best in the wild. Feral kittens are a different story. They can be socialized, tamed, and prepped for adoption.
Neutering 50 cats might not sound like a lot when compared to Edmonton’s tens of thousands of feral cats, but it can make a world of difference.
If a female cat has 12 kittens a year and her offspring aren’t fixed, those offspring could account for more than two million cats in just eight years.
Unfortunately, change comes at a steep price. While some animal shelters like the Alberta SPCA receive grants from the government, most shelters rely on fundraising, sponsorships, and donations.
We All Have a Part to Play
According to the EHS’ 2023 Annual Report, 40 percent of the shelter’s revenue that year came from fundraising and sponsorships. In total, the EHS’ revenue in 2023 was a little over $9.2 million.
Meanwhile, the organization’s expenses were over $8.7 million. Over half of the EHS‘ expenses were related to shelter operations, including programs like TNR and animal sheltering.
This number isn’t too surprising when we look at the costs associated with sheltering one cat.
“It costs the EHS approximately $11 per day to provide each cat or kitten with daily essentials like food, shelter and enrichment, along with their veterinary exams, until they are ready for adoption,” Krista Kingston, communications and education manager at the EHS, told The Rockies Life.
“Costs can vary between shelters, depending on the number of animals they care for, the programs they offer, and their facility size,” she continued.
Food in particular is a notable expense, costing the EHS about $70,000 per year for just cat food. In total, the average cost to shelter a cat runs the EHS about $465 from intake to adoption.
Kingston emphasized that the EHS is grateful for its partnerships with pet food companies and community donations that help offset the cost.
The less money animal shelters have to spend on sheltering animals, the more money they can spend on programs that help humanely combat feral cat overpopulation. These programs aren’t cheap.
The EHS clinic last year likely cost between $5,000 and $6,000, according to EHS veterinarian Michelle Meckelborg.
“TNR…is the most effective long-term solution for managing and reducing the feral cat population,” said Kingston.
Organizations like the EHS can’t control feral cat populations on their own. If you would like to help, spaying and neutering your pets is a good start.
If you would like a more hands-on approach, consider volunteering at local TNR groups like Little Cats Lost in Edmonton or donating to organizations that run TNR programs like the EHS.
Humans might be part of the problem of feral cat overpopulation, but we can also be part of the solution. The sooner we take action, the sooner we can reign in these populations, not just in Edmonton but across the province.
