The BC SPCA has released its five year plan. The theme is “Creating humane communities”, and it focuses on the need to reduce the number of feral cats in BC. Leon Davis, Branch Manager of the Nanaimo SPCA, says it’s a major issue they need to address over the next few years.
Davis says feral cats not only suffer neglect; they often carry some nasty diseases. While 78 per cent of stray dogs are returned home, the same is only true for 8 per cent of stray cats in BC. They want to boost that number to at least 12 per cent in 5 years.
Another part of the BC SPCA’s five year plan deals with making sure shelters across the province are properly equipped. Davis says many shelters are 30 or 40 years old and in major need of upgrading.
Davis says he has formed a committee to look at what size of facility is required to house the large number of animals they care for each year. A new shelter won’t be cheap though, and over the next few months Davis says determine what kind of support will be required from the community to make it a reality. They’re working on figuring out how much the entire project is going to cost before they launch a fundraising campaign.
