To address the cat overpopulation crisis in and around Great Falls, the Humane Society of Cascade County began hosting one-day spay/neuter clinics for cats and kittens only. On Thursday, they hosted just such an event at the Black Eagle Community Center. The cats-only clinics are done about eight times a year, targeting high-risk situations where the cats or kittens would not get altered otherwise. For more information, click here to visit the HSCC website , or call them at 406.231.4722.
The Humane Society of Cascade County is combating the city’s growing cat population with low-cost spaying and neutering clinics. Every month, volunteers help provide spaying and neutering services to low-income pet owners, serving over 900 cats just this year. Today, the clinic helped provide spaying and neutering services to around 30 cats.
Volunteer vet tech Sharon Kohles is passionate about fixing pets and overpopulation. “We need to get these animals spayed and neutered so they’re not having any additional kittens,” Kohles said.
Kohles also volunteers with Pet Paw-See, a non-profit for pets in need of new homes, and has seen the local cat population reach cat-astrophic levels. “You just look at the number of cats the animals shelter and the other facilities have. There’s just not enough homes for all of these cats,” Kohles said.
“The cats we can’t reach that are outside, they keep breeding, having more kittens, they get sick they die. So it’s really tragic life for outdoor kittens that aren’t taken care of.”
That’s why the clinic only charges cat-owners $35 for their services. “This clinic is designed to help low-income people or older people on a fixed income...These people love their animals, they just need help with getting them spayed and neutered to take care of them,” Kohles said.
Kohles explained that fixing cats does more good than people realize, decreasing cats risk of cancer and preventing the hormones that cause cats to behave more wildly.
Cat-lover and owner of around 30 animals, Pamela Ferguson is a major proponents for spaying and neutering.
“Getting them spayed and neutered is really important because you don’t want the kittens getting old enough to have kittens,” Ferguson said.
When the cats she shares with her neighbor had kittens recently, she knew she had to get them fixed. “When I heard about the spay and neuter, I thought they got to be old enough to get them spayed. We don’t need any more babies,” Ferguson said.
The next clinic will take place in November at the Black Eagle Community Center. Or if you’d like to support the Humane Society, you can attend their Spay-ghetti fundraiser this Saturday. More information on Saturday evening’s dinner can be found here .
