Sneaky cat owners milk cut price desexing scheme
Monday, 11 February 2019
Sly cat owners have been caught out trying to pass off their pets as strays - but happy purrs have given the game away.
The Picton Veterinary Clinic in Marlborough began a bid to cut stray cat numbers by offering desex surgery and microchipping for $20.
But the lure of lower costs proved too much for some with people attempting to persuade staff their much loved cats were feral.
Vet nurse Shanti Mosdell said the sound of the animal purring proved that was not always the case.
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The Marlborough District Council subsidised scheme was only available for cats proven to be wild for seven days.
'To the best of the person's knowledge the cat has to be stray and wild and if the cat comes in purring then we will ring them up and start asking questions.
'We have caught people out like this but the majority have been really good,' she said.
Desexing or neutering a cat is a surgical procedure that prevents them from being able to reproduce.
The cost ranges from $50 to $125 for male cats and $70 to $150 or more for female cats.
Mosdell said members of the public bringing in strays were expected to keep the cat indoors for 24 hours post surgery before releasing them.
Vet Christine Mackenzie has carried out 27 surgeries on stray cats since November 2017 but staff at the Wellington St clinic would like to see more.
She also inserted microchips under anesthetic and then clipped a small part off the top of the left ear so the cat would be easily identified as having had surgery.
'It's quite hard with stray cats as we can't book them in so people should just bring them in or call to say they're coming . If we get busy with our own clients then we will keep them in overnight until the next day,' Mosdell said.
She said half of the strays they saw had been pets at some point which had not been microchipped.
'They've obviously had a home at some point. They are still scared but aren't hissing ,' she said.
The feral cat population in Marlborough was classed as moderate to high throughout the region by council staff.
SPCA Renwick Centre staff said they were struggling with limited space and resources and had to prioritise space for vulnerable animals.
Renwick received around 650 animals per year with around 67 per cent being cats and kittens.
SPCA inspector and Nelson centre manager Donna Walzl said the charity would always help where it could - unless a member of the public wanted to euthanise a healthy stray.
'… we must prioritise space at our centre for animals that are sick, injured or abused - this includes vulnerable stray kittens.
'Particularly during these busy summer months we must always ensure we prioritise our resources for the animals that need us most.
'But wherever our capacity allows, we try and also assist with the rehoming of healthy stray cats.
'If a member of public finds a stray, healthy and social cat and cannot find its owner, we will take that cat in and care and rehome it,' she said.
Walzl said the centres were trying to boost foster parent numbers to free up space at rescue centres.
But she said there was sometimes a waiting list for cats to be admitted.
'We are trying to build up our foster parent capability, so we can place more animals in private homes for recovery from sickness such as cat flu, along with vulnerable kittens too young to adopt.
'Our foster parents will allow us to make sure we have the capacity for animals that need us the most.
'If our quarantine area is temporarily full with animals, we may have to have the cat on a waiting list until there is space available to house them,' she said.