Addressing pet overpopulation

Deby DeWeese thought she was doing the right thing by placing homeless cats in Sisquoc in loving homes, but she now knows if was the wrong approach.

She compared her initial efforts to attack the area's cat overpopulation problem to putting a small bandage on a large wound.

After consulting staff at Santa Barbara County Animal Services, she decided that the best solution would be to have the feral felines sterilized and vaccinated. So she asked for help from co-workers and Animal Services.

As a result, the Central Coast Animal Protection Society's Spay Shuttle will be paying a special visit to Sisquoc on Thursday to neuter and spay both cats and dogs, as well as any strays that are brought in. The surgeries and vaccinations will be done at a low cost.

Sisquoc is overpopulated with cats, some feral and some that have been abandoned by owners, said Animal Services Director Jan Glick.

The goal, she said, is to reduce the number of feral cats in the area by sterilizing the felines and releasing them back to the area. The sterilized cats would then form a habitat in the area, essentially barring other animals from moving in, including other cats and rodents, she said.

For this plan to succeed, someone has to volunteer to be a caretaker of the returned cats to feed them and care for their well-being for the duration of the felines' lives, she said.

It is a common practice throughout the country and has been found to be a good start to solving the overpopulation problem, Glick said.

"I hope people in the area rally behind this," DeWeese said, adding that Sisquoc residents are generous. "It will be up to the community to make this a reality."

DeWeese said she has seen animals being dumped in Sisquoc by their owners. She once found a puppy wandering in the area with a jar on it head. She figured the owner didn't want the dog to find its way home. It is illegal to abandon an animal.

To get her neighbors involved, DeWeese said she sent out letters to every home in Sisquoc. All 250 envelopes included a letter she wrote, the spay-shuttle flyer, and a brochure for Catalyst for Cats, a non-profit organization that traps, neuters and releases stray cats throughout Santa Barbara County.

The letter encourages Sisquoc residents to spay or neuter their pets and/or vaccinate them. In addition the letter tells about Catalyst for Cats and its trap, neuter and release program, and asks residents to become volunteers.

The costs of the spay shuttle are being offset by money that DeWeese's coworkers at the Fielding Graduate Institute donated, she said.

The spay clinic has received several appointments for Thursday's event, said Donna Lee of the Central Coast Animal Protection Society, a San Luis Obispo County-based non-profit group. An appointment is needed for the surgery, but they will try to accommodate any strays that are brought in, she said. If residents catch a stray, the animal must not be fed the night before the surgery, she said.

The spay shuttle will be at the Benjamin Foxen School parking lot, 4949 Foxen Canyon Road, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. To make an appointment call, (866) PET-SPAY or 481-5119.

* Staff writer Elizabeth Rodriguez can be reached at 347-4580 or by e-mail at erodriguez@pulitzer.net.

April 21, 2004