Kamloops is in a crisis when it comes to cat overpopulation according to the SPCA.

The Kamloops branch took in 441 cats in 2020. But it was running at 35 per cent capacity, according to spokesperson Ashley Fontaine, and she says it would’ve taken in about 1,000 cats last year if it was at full speed.

Speaking to Kamloopc council, she gave one example of cat owners who moved out of a Kamloops apartment recently, and took everything but the cat. She says the SPCA came in after neighbours heard noise and staff took in the cat, which then gave birth the following day to three kittens.

“They almost seem just disposable. How can you move and bring everything with you except for the cat?” Fontaine says. “So we need to shift that perception of how we value these animal’s lives.”

She was asked if a crunch on affordable rental housing in the region is contributing to the problems.

“That probably does contribute to it. At the end of the day though, if you can’t find a place to bring your animal, certainly don’t leave them abandoned in an empty apartment. That’s what organizations like us exist for.”

Fontaine said the SPCA determined money is the biggest reason owners don’t get their cats spayed or neutered. As a result, she says it has restarted a $20-dollar spay and neuter program for low-income families in Kamloops.

The fee, she says, is to help make sure cat owners show up when they sign up for the program, saying that has been a problem in the past which takes staff resources away from other matters.

For $20 dollars, cats will also be vaccinated, dewormed and micro-chipped. Combined with being spayed or neutered, the services would typically cost several hundred dollars.

Cat owners can register for getting their pet spayed or neutered online, by going here.