Stray cats and dogs are everywhere in the Philippines. They get bumped by speeding cars and it is a common sight to see mangled decomposing corpses of cats on the road. There just aren’t enough — or effective — government programs to address stray animal problems.
I understand that it is a public safety and public health issue. Rabies can be deadly.
But I bet that the pet overpopulation issue in California cannot be as bad as what we experience in the Philippines. And yet, a lawmaker is making some very hardline proposals to control pet overpopulation — a statewide spay-neuter law following the example of Los Angeles County which has already passed a similar law.
There are complaints but the logic is inescapable. I wish we had something similar.
In the Philippines, having a cat sprayed costs around PhP 2,500.00. Not a joke, really. If there is state subsidy and the cost goes down substantially, it might encourage a lot of cat owners to have their cats sprayed. Overall, it would be cheaper than putting up animal shelters which requires more money in terms of manpower and maintenance.
The government cannot expect cat lovers to take in every stray just to escape the responsibility of addressing the stray animals issue.
I’ve gotten three of my cats fixed already and the only one we haven’ gotten fixed is my kitten and today is his last day of being a Tom Cat! He’s getting fixed tomorrow. That’s one reason i want to open up a vet’s office and a cat shelter some day because around where i live you hardly ever see a stray dog around but you always see sad faced skinny cats and kittens wandering around… It makes me sad to see such a sight and that’s why i want to help!!
I hope we won’t have to resort to euthanizing the strays just to control the overpopulation. Pet owners should be more responsible. Some veterinary clinics offer “FREE” sterilization of stray cats, even dogs. The De La Salle Araneta – College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital in Malabon City conducts an annual free cat spay and castration. I hope we can have more of these.