Title
Receive an oral report from the Monterey County Health Department Animal Services Administrator regarding options to fund mobile spay/neuter clinics. Board Referral No. 2019-14
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive an oral report from the Monterey County Health Department Animal Services Administrator regarding options to fund mobile spay/neuter clinics.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Monterey County has a need to increase the number of low-cost spay/neuter surgeries available to residents for both their owned pets and community feral cat populations if there is to be a reduction in the unwanted animals that end up in local shelters. Most animals ending up in local shelters are not spayed or neutered. Specifically, this past kitten season was especially challenging for local shelters, including Monterey County Animal Services. From May 1through December 1, 2019, cat intake was up about 10% from last year. And despite adoptions, return-to-owner increases, and a Return to Field program being soft rolled out for community cats, euthanasia of underaged kittens still increased. There are simply not enough adoptive and foster homes to save them all. Increasing spay/neuter services will help by stopping the births in the first place.
The benefits of spaying and neutering (or altering) pets are well known. Dogs that have been altered are less likely to roam, have reduced behavior issues and live longer. It is also cheaper to license pet dogs as required by law in most cities and counties than in Monterey County. For cats, both feral and friendly, altering reduces behaviors such as fighting, spraying and the unmistaken howling that comes from a cat in heat. For both cats and dogs, spaying and neutering prevents unwanted and unplanned litters of kittens and puppies that end up in local animal shelters each year. Having more pets spayed and neutered within the community will enable Animal Services to better utilize our limited r...
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