Butler County Humane Society offering vouchers to neutering cats
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — The Butler County Humane Society has a number of kittens in its shelter, and the typical breeding season is just starting.
Cari Ciancio, executive director of the society, said area cats bred more than average over the winter because of above-average temperatures, but money the shelter is getting from a trust should help control the feline population in the county.
Susan Eleanor Andre left the Humane Society with a trust that will be used to fund the spaying and neutering of cats in the county, and people can receive a voucher that can be used at a number of local vets as well as Animal Friends, a shelter near Pittsburgh.
“It's a big program, it's going to save a lot of people money,” Ciancio said. “Hopefully we're going to limit the amount of kittens coming into the shelter and then limit the amount of cats coming in, in general.”
Ciancio said the ultimate goal of the SEA Program, named after Andre, is to stop the overpopulation of cats. County residents can receive a voucher to have a cat spayed or neutered at participating clinics such as the Moraine Grove Veterinary Clinic and Mars Animal Depot.
“If we could just spay and neuter them, they'd stop reproducing, and we wouldn't be getting in so many animals,” Ciancio said. “Because we can't take care of all of them — we can't take in every single time somebody calls us with a cat.”
A majority of the animals at the Humane Society are not spayed or neutered, Ciancio said, because the cost of the procedure can range from $200 to $500. The Humane Society could use some of the trust money to clear its animals, but Ciancio said the main objective is helping people who own or care for community cats.
“The fact is, we would be saving people easily $200 to $300, if not more,” Ciancio said. “And ultimately, it makes the cat healthier for the long term so they're not getting cancer and stuff like that.”
Animal Friends should have the capacity to spay or neuter about 30 cats monthly, Ciancio said, but some of the other vets may be able to handle only a certain amount.
Ciancio said Andre’s contribution could make a big difference in the number of cats roaming the streets of Butler County.
“She loved cats, she had a couple cats of her own, they were her main companions, so she wanted to see them taken care of,” Ciancio said of Andre.
For information on the SEA Program, or to receive a voucher, visit butlercountyhs.org.
