There is an increasing problem throughout Michigan and the United States of increasing feral colonies due to pet owners not taking the responsible action of spaying/neutering their cats. When a cat is either let go (due to a myriad of reasons stemming from the lack of finances to care for them, moving to a place that does not accept pets, etc.) or a cat just simply gets out and is lost, one cat that is not spayed or neutered can be responsible for a chain of thousands upon thousands of descendants of the original cat.
Feral colonies are colonies of cats who are born in the wild to these strays who have not been spayed or neutered and of adult ferals who breed in the wild. Many states have adopted programs where they will capture the feral cats (who are difficult to capture due to a fear of humans because they are not accustomed to them), spay/neuter them, care for them in their recovery and return them to their colonies because ferals tend to do quite well surviving in the wild. This would greatly reduce the number of ferals (by thousands upon thousands both in Michigan and throughout the United States) which would help both the wildlife and the communities where ferals currently reside.
To help curb this problem pet owners need to spay/neuter their cats. For those who do not choose to spay/neuter due to financial considerations there are many, many resources that one may call for assistance. Nationally individuals may contact CALL SPAY/USA at 1-800-248-SPAY (7729) or go to http://www.humanesociety.org/ and key in "low cost spaying/neutering" in the search box (this will pull up a directory of locations in all 50 states that may offer assistance. Also, many Veterinarians will assist with low cost financing to assist responsible pet owners who wish to spay/neuter their cats.
IN MICHIGAN INDIVIDUALS MAY CONTACT:
http://www.petsupportmi.org/
IN OAKLAND CO. MICHIGAN:
THE OAKLAND PET ADOPTION CENTER-AUBURN HILLS-(spay/neuter assistance)
http://www.oakgov.com/petadoption/programs_services/
If wanting to capture a feral colony in Oakland Co. Michigan to have them spayed/neutered, do not attempt to do this on your own, please contact:
OAKLAND CO. ANIMAL CONTROL
248-391-4102
All About Animals located at 25408 Mound Road in Warren, MI
ReplyDelete586-879-1745 will spay/neuter cats for $40.00
They also host numerous low cost vaccination programs.
I've fixed all 3 of the stray cats in my neighborhood and its wonderful
knowing there will be no kittens to try to catch.
I've also used All About Animals and the staff is great!!!
ReplyDeleteThey do dogs for $80 and cats for $40....worth every penny if you have stray or ferral cats.
"Anonymous"and Vicky,
ReplyDeletethanks soooo much for sharing such useful information!! It is truly appreciated!
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