Some of Vancouver’s abandoned and feral cats got some much-needed TLC yesterday at a free medical clinic offered by the B.C. SPCA.
Jamie Lawson, chief animal health officer with the organization, said roughly 40 cats were brought into the animal hospital to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and treated for diseases, parasites and injuries.
They were released after being treated.
“There’s a huge population of cats out there in dire need of human care,” Lawson said. “There are almost as many homeless cats in the U.S. as there are (pet) cats, and we’re probably not that far off (here).”
Lawson said the clinic will help reduce the number of feral kittens being born, thereby preventing their suffering.
“Most of these cats lead very short, brutal lives,” he said. “Kittens starve, predators pick them up and they get physically traumatized.”
He said feral cats are secretive and hide during the day, and it took a large group of volunteers to trap the animals brought into the clinic.
“I (was) delighted to see so many vets and techs coming out and donating their day off to feral cats,” Lawson said. “This is a community problem and the only way to solve it is as a community.”
