Alley Cat Alliance Organizes to Help Cats Washington County SPCA is launching Alley Cat Alliance to attack cat overpopulation problems. “We hope to build a coalition with Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) and all other organizations and individuals who are concerned about the fate of stray and unwanted cats, and cats whose owners need financial assistance to have them spayed or neutered,” said Anita Stepp, Executive Director of WCSPCA. An organizational meeting will be held on February 9 at 2:00 pm at Kaffe Bona located at 820 N. Shawnee Avenue in Dewey. The public is welcome to attend.
For more information call 336-0073.
Every year hundreds of cats and kittens arrive at the SPCA animal shelter. In 2007 the shelter took in 908 cats. There are not enough homes for all these wonderful cats, and many are euthanized because they have no place else to go. The SPCA is a reluctant partner in this process, and wishes to find alternate methods to control the cat overpopulation problem. If more cats could be sterilized, this problem could be solved in a more humane way. Clova Abrahamson, President of Oklahoma Humane Federation, notes “People need to realize that cats as young as four and a half months are producing their first litters. Moreover, cats often produce three litters a year. Litters can contain as many as six kittens.” At this rate one female cat and her offspring result in 420,000 kittens in seven years. Picking up and euthanizing these cats is not a humane or an economical solution. The most financially sound method to deal with this problem is to prevent the kittens from being born in the first place. WCSPCA was recently awarded a grant by the Oklahoma Humane Federation on behalf of animals in the Bartlesville area. These funds provided by the ASPCA, one of the nation's largest animal welfare organizations, were distributed to selected Oklahoma Humane Federation members that are dedicated to eliminating pet overpopulation and animal abuse. The grant is earmarked for spay/neuter programs and will be used for the Alley Cat Alliance program. WCSPCA is dedicated to homeless animals in our community. WCSPCA is located on highway 123 between Bartlesville and Dewey. Visitors are encouraged and donations for the pets, such as pet food, treats, cat litter, bleach, paper towels, and any other pet-related items are always welcome. For more information, call 336-1577 or visit the website at www.wcspca.org. | 
