As well as food and shelter, SPCA volunteers have worked to provide cats belonging to Medicine Hat's feral cat colonies with toys, something many are unaccustomed to having spent the majority, if not entirety, of their lives on the streets. -- NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
kking@medicinehatnews.com
As Medicine Hat’s feline overpopulation issue becomes ever more dire, local animal welfare advocates and concerned citizens are eagerly awaiting bylaw amendments which would allow for a trap-neuter/spay-release (TNR) program to operate within the city.
Medicine Hat SPCA board chair Linda Tooth says the city must act on the issue already long out of hand, as feline overpopulation causes a variety of concerns to both the cats and the community as a whole.
“(Feral cat overpopulation) has been an ongoing problem for many years,” Tooth told the News, explaining that uncontrolled overpopulation is a contributing factor in capacity limitations at local shelters. It can also facilitate the spread of feline diseases, harm a community’s ecosystem and jeopardize the well-being of feral cats.
“I don’t know that it’s a problem that’s ever going to go away, but we need to slow it down.”
The City of Medicine Hat has been working on amending the current bylaw which prohibits TNR since 2021, and says it hopes to bring an amended bylaw forward shortly.
In the meantime, Tooth is concerned with continued breeding among feral cats, which only exacerbates the issue.
Over the past 15 years, Tooth and her team have seen an explosion in the number of feral cats in Medicine Hat. While its impossible to determine an exact number, they estimate there are upwards of 300 feral cats in the city and at least three unique feral colonies.
In order to illustrate local feline overpopulation and the issues it causes, Tooth invited the News to join her in visiting one of the colonies, comprised of roughly 75 cats.
In an effort to provide a decent quality of life the cats, Tooth and other SPCA volunteers have been delivering food and water to local feral cat colonies twice daily for more than a decade. They have also worked to provide shelter in the form of insulated tote boxes and sheds, and will occasionally administer medication to try and aid sick or injured cats and kittens, as well as quell the spread of diseases.
Encompassing an area of roughly four city blocks, the colony is comprised of cats of all ages and sexes, including numerous kittens, a number Tooth expects to grow through the warmer months.
While visiting the colony, the News observed several kittens with severe eye infections, to the point that some could not open their eye(s) as a result of inflammation and purulence.
Tooth administered medicated drops to several kittens with infected eye(s) in the hopes it will clear the infection and save their vision, and potentially their lives.
While the cats do live outdoors, the majority seek refuge from the elements in the shelters SPCA team members set up for them, with the blessing, and on many occasions at the request of, property owners in the area. Some property owners have even giving Tooth and her team keys to their properties.
“In general, people have been very kind,” said Tooth. “They are helping in feeding and donating food to the animals, they’re allowing us access to these animals, and we really do appreciate that and thank them for that.”
Tooth says she hopes to see advancement at a city level in the coming weeks.
