Recent funding will help Haida Gwaii's trap-neuter-return (TNR) project continue in an effort to stop the free-roaming cat population from growing.
The BC SPCA recently announced funding from PetSmart Charities of Canada has allowed for a $6,050 donation to the ongoing TNR project taking place on Haida Gwaii to target the homeless cat
population.
Addressing what it says is a "cat population crisis" in B.C. is a major focus for the BC SPCA.
"Abandoned and free-roaming cats are forced to fend for themselves outdoors, suffering from starvation, illness, injury, freezing temperatures in the winter and predator attacks," said Amy Morris, policy and outreach officer for BC SPCA.
The trap-neuter-return program allows cats to maintain their colony space, which prevents new cats from moving in. According to Morris, outdoor cats who are neutered are healthier and contribute to the colony diminishing.
The BC SPCA states 75 per cent of kittens born outdoors die before they reach six months while the cats that do survive only live approximately two years before dying. Because they are not neutered, the free-roaming cats multiply by producing litters.
Morris stresses the importance of spaying or neutering pets before they reach six months of age and to never abandon kittens and cats.