Animal Agencies Call for Affordable Fix for Feral Cats

The issue of how to manage feral cats in the county has caused animal agencies and the county commission to take a deeper look at pet overpopulation.

On Tuesday, local animal welfare agencies spoke to the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners about proposed solutions to pet overpopulation, which include:

• Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) programs,
• Mandatory Spay/Neuter (MSN) programs, and
• providing more cost-effective access to spaying and neutering pets.

Pinellas County has an estimated 500,000 companion animals, but only 160,000 pets are licensed. The estimated feral cat population in Pinellas County is 150,000 to 200,000, according to Animal Services.

"I have a heart for all animals," resident Dan Hester told the board. "This issue is a spay and neuter issue. We are never going to reduce the feral cat population unless we get spay and neuter under control."

Last year, . About 10 percent of the animals were reclaimed by their owners. Thirty percent of the pets were adopted. Fifty-one percent, or 8,808 animals, were euthanized.

The county wants to increase responsible pet ownership and maximize adoptions. On a positive note, animal adoptions have increased from about 21 percent in 2005 to about 33 percent in 2011, according to Animal Services.

TNR Programs

One proposed solution is TNR programs, which humanely trap feral and free-roaming cats. The cats are spayed or neutered and vaccinated for rabies. During surgery, the veterinarian will tip each cat's ear so caregivers know it has gone through the TNR process. The cats are then released.

"We don't want cats to be feral or free roaming. We want them to be elevated to be an indoor pet," said Dr. Caroline Thomas of Animal Services. "We have way more cats than we have resources." 

Most people at Tuesday's meeting spoke in favor of spaying and neutering pets. Some were not in favor of returning pets to roam free. A few people expressed concerns about the effect on wildlife and the Florida habitat of having a non-native species such as a cat wandering free.

MSN Programs

Another proposed overpopulation solution is MSN, which would mandate spaying or neutering for pets, with exceptions for some pets such as service dogs or breeding animals. That option received limited support at Tuesday's meeting.

"I believe (MSN) is a good program. I would like to see it for public safety," resident Elaine Hocker told the board.

Thomas expressed concerns about possible negative consequences of MSN, such as people not getting rabies vaccinations for their pets. She said spaying and neutering should be encouraged but voluntary, and the result of people consulting with their veterinarians based on each individual pet's situation.

Better Access to Spay/Neuter Programs

The third proposed approach, greater access to affordable spaying and neutering, seemed to have the most support Tuesday.

"SPCA Tampa Bay would support the creation of a countywide plan to provide low-cost spay/neuter surgeries over the pursuit of a mandatory spay/neuter ordinance," said Nora Hawkins of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Tampa Bay, which like Animal Services is based in Largo. "Reducing overpopulation through affordable, high-volume spay/neuter gives more animals a chance for life." 

Animal Services Interim Director Will Davis said his agency does not support TNR programs. But Animal Services would also want more affordable and greater accessibility to spay/neuter services, Davis said. He said there was just not enough, consistent access to low-cost spay/neuter programs. Animal Services backs affordable, accessible, high-volume, low-cost services, he said.

Animal welfare supporters in the audience suggested raising licensing fees for animals that are not spayed or neutered, which could help offset the costs of spay/neuter programs.

Davis said about 75 percent of Animal Services' budget is covered through fees and services.

Resident Deborah Leehigh told the board she is "enough of a realist to know this is all about money."  

"Dogs and cats lack the ability to change their circumstances," Leehigh said. "The lucky ones repay with their love."

Local animal agencies will continue to work together in the next few months to come up with ways to provide more access to spay/neuter programs, as well as possible changes to license fee schedules. Animal Services will provide a staff report on progress in 90 days.