A $50,000 PetSmart Charities grant will help the Kamloops SPCA tackle the cat overpopulation in the city.

The funding will help them offer 400 free spay and neuter surgeries to cat owners in need who apply, beginning with residents in the Brocklehurst and North Shore area.

 

Manager Charlene Holloway says they’ve begun processing some of the applications.

“And understand that with that many applications coming through, it will take us a little bit to process them,” she said. “There’s going to be a few hiccups along the way.”

“Folks can apply online, and we will contact them with the appointment information and they can come in. Once we process the vouchers, they can pick those up and take them in to get spayed or neutered.”

Kamloops has the highest cat intake across the province, with staff taking in and caring for more than 1,000 cats and kittens last year.

Holloway adds they had applied for funding to cover 800 surgeries but were only granted money for 400.

“When we got the final number of 400, we strategically looked at our data and realized that the biggest communities where we were getting the intake of animals were the Brocklehurst and North Shore areas.”

Holloway noted that if they don’t perform 400 surgeries in those areas, they’ll open it up to other parts of the city.

She noted that Kamloops will apply for funding next year as well.

And while the program is free, recipients will be asked to donate back $40 to the fund if possible, to enable the SPCA to help even more cats get fixed.