New Brunswick cat rescue group says ‘hard data’ needed on cat colonies, launches survey

A New Brunswick cat rescue organization is encouraging people to report feral cats across the province.

CARMA Cat Rescue has launched an online survey to help identify where cat colonies exist.

Fredericton-area president Susan Knight said the organization’s 10 chapters spayed and neutered approximately 1,900 cats in 2016. Knight said that number does not include the cats that were adopted.

Knight told Global News it’s a “cat crisis.”

Knight said they want to find out how big and widespread the problem is.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia SPCA program reduces Halifax cat colony populations

“Until you actual document this, until you have hard facts, it’s bigger than you really fully realize, so that’s why we’ve initiated this survey to try to get a better handle on exactly how large a problem this is in New Brunswick,” Knight said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Until you actual document this, until you have hard facts, it's bigger than you really fully realize, so that's why we've initiated this survey to try to get a better handle on exactly how large a problem this is in New Brunswick," Knight said.

Douglas Animal Hospital veterinarian Dr. Nicole Jewett said the data collected will help vets and cat rescue organizations like CARMA determine the most efficient and cost effective way to address cat colonies.

“If we do nothing, a lot of these cats end up suffering and we’re not helping to reduce the cat population,” Jewett said.

Knight said a colony is anything more than three cats. She said even having two unspayed or unneutered cats could leave you with a colony of 25 cats within a year.

She hopes anyone who sees a stray cat or knows areas where there are stray cats will fill out the survey.

Knight said the survey takes approximately three minutes to complete.

READ MORE: ‘We’re completely slammed with cats’: Shelters and rescues forced to turn animals away

When it comes to “hotspots” in the province, Knight said Minto, N.B. and Chipman, N.B. have several colonies, and said rural areas of the province are also areas with lots of feral cats.

Conservative MLA for Gagetown-Petitcodiac Ross Wetmore said there are a few colonies within his constituency.

He said that information has been passed along to CARMA.

“Everybody wants government to solve their problems but I really feel that CARMA is a great organization and really, until the survey is complete we’re not going to know how much government help they’re going to need,” Wetmore said.

“I would like to think the human kindness comes out and helps take care of these feral cat populations and helps control it that way.”