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Charitable Work

Feral Cat Day

On Friday Mar 22nd, 2024, the team at our Kamloops Spay and Neuter Clinic partnered with 5 of our Thompson Okanagan Rescue groups to host our Semi-annual Feral Cat Day.  Working together with these amazing groups helps to enable some control over the feral cat population.  Today we were able to spay, neuter, microchip, and distribute worming medications to a whopping 34 cats (16 females, and 18 males).

We give our heartfelt thanks to the Hospital Trust Fund for their generous donations to help us with days like today.  We very much appreciate the care that you give.

We are proud to have instructors Tara Geiger and Denise Hitt along with students from Thompson Rivers University’s Veterinary Technology Program help us out today.  We would also like to acknowledge the generosity of Zoetis and Boehringer-Ingelheim whose donation of vaccines and parasitic medications were a very welcome help.  A special thank you to Ryan Dobell from Panago Pizza for the fantastic lunch that he provided our entire team. Finally, a big shout out to our 3 Vet Technologists and 1 Volunteer Veterinary Assistant who gave up their busy days to help us out.

We are looking forward to our next event TBA in October 2024.

If you or someone you know is looking for more information, please contact the clinic at kamloopsclinic@spca.bc.ca

Big shout out to our 5 Rescues:

Sammy’s Forgotten Felines @forgotten_felines

Better Beginnings Kitten Rescue @betterbeginningskittenrescue

Pawprints Animal Rescue @pawprints_animalrescue

Shuswap Paws Rescue Society @shuswappawsrescue

Nicola Valley Animal Rescue Society info@nvars.com

 

What is a Feral Cat?

A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat that lives outdoors and avoids human contact; it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. They readily adapt to their surroundings and prefer to live in colonies ranging in size from a few individuals to several dozen cats. Multiple generations of the same family will live together if there is an abundant food source nearby and can become an aggressive local apex predator as they are devastating to wildlife and are considered one of the worst invasive species on earth. Feral cats can be found in urban, suburban, and rural areas throughout Canada. They can also spread parasites, like tapeworms, roundworms, and serious diseases such as rabies and toxoplasmosis, to humans and pets. Some feral cats may become more comfortable with people who regularly feed them, but even with long-term attempts at socialization, they usually remain aloof and are most active after dusk. Of the 700 million cats in the world, an estimated 480 million are feral.

What can you do to help?

Spaying or neutering your pet is the most important step you can take to prevent the feral and stray cat population from increasing. Cats are incredibly fertile! Female cats reach sexual maturity at around 6 months old, and they have short gestation periods—around 65 days.