SPCA struggling to keep up with Saskatoon’s cat population

The Saskatoon SPCA says it can’t keep up with the number of cats in its care and is asking pet owners for help.

As of Tuesday, the animal shelter said it’s at capacity with 127 felines while an additional 57 are in foster care.

According to SPCA communications coordinator Jasmine Hanson, this is nothing new for this time of year.

“It’s not rare at all. We often fill all our available space for cats in the springtime — ‘kitten season’ — and we often stay full until the fall or winter months arrive,” she said.

Hanson said the COVID-19 pandemic impacted adoptions to a point that no staff member had seen before.

“Because of the pandemic, many people have more time to get a new furry family member settled in, making pet adoption a great option for families who are having to spend more time at home,” she said.

“We saw a huge increase in adoption applications — for both cats and dogs — when the pandemic first hit Saskatoon in mid-March, and we actually had no animals up for adoption at one point due to demand… since then, we have gradually seen adoption applications slow down.”

The shelter is intended to be a temporary space for the city’s homeless, lost, abandoned, neglected and abused animals. On average, it cares for over 2,700 cats every year.

To help with its numbers, the SPCA has implemented the ‘Purrfect Pairing’ initiative which gives its past adopters $95 off their next cat adoption until the end of September.

As of Tuesday, there are 44 cats ready to be adopted with more on the way.

Saskatoon’s only animal shelter currently only has one dog available to adopt.

“Our dogs are being adopted much faster than cats at this time, so we only have a few adoptable dogs at any given moment,” Hanson said.

All animals adopted from the shelter are spayed or neutered and eligible for a complimentary exam at the local participating veterinary clinic of the adopter’s choice.