POCATELLO — Pocatello Animal Services has launched a new program that should help reduce the number of stray cats showing up at the shelter and living in the community.
Officials say they are planning to set traps in areas of the city where community cat colonies are known to exist. The trapped felines will then be taken to Alta Animal Hospital where they will be spayed or neutered, given a rabies vaccination and have their ears notched for identification purposes.
Unfortunately, cats considered to be unlikely to survive surgery — due to severe illness or injury as determined by a veterinarian — will be euthanized, officials said. But healthy felines will go through the above procedures and then be returned to the area where they were found.
“The Community Cat Program will reduce the number of cats in the shelter and, over the long-term, reduce the population of community cats in the city,” Josh Heinz, Pocatello Animal Services director, said in a news release. “The trapping and spaying/neutering of cats by Pocatello Animal Services allows cats to stay in the area for people who want them there, reduces the population to a more manageable level, and helps the cats thrive outside the Shelter.”
As part of the program, officials are encouraging people to bring stray cats to the shelter on Mondays and Wednesdays when possible.
Pocatello Animals Services received a $50,000 grant from the Best Friends Animal Society to help with the program.
“We are excited to be able to help support Pocatello Animal Services to increase their cat lifesaving capacities,” Jennifer Adkins, Community Cat Program Outreach specialist with Best Friends Animal Society, said in a news release. “Implementing the Community Cat Program is a great step in not only achieving their overall lifesaving goals but also strengthening their partnership with their community to provide lasting solutions for cat-related issues.”
Pocatello Animal Services officials say they are also continuing their efforts to adopt out cats and dogs. For more information, people can visit pocatello.us/animal or Pocatello Animal Services on Facebook.