"Outdoor" cats in Windsor-Essex can now be spayed or neutered, in a new promotion from the local humane society.
The Windsor-Essex County Humane Society will offer this coming weekend a new promotion geared toward barn or farm cats. The initiative is designed to address the long-standing problem of feline overpopulation in the area.
Melanie Coulter, the humane society's executive director, said people who have cats living on their property in the open don't typically think of them as feral cats.
"Clinic procedures that work for people and groups doing TNR, or trap-neuter-return, don’t necessarily work for barn cats," said Coulter in a media release. "But, offspring of barn cats are frequently brought to the Humane Society as stray kittens in need of homes."
The humane society's veterinary clinic has long offered spay-neuter services for feral cats, but on Sunday, residents who have outdoor cats can bring them to the humane society and get $20 off the procedure.
In addition to being spayed or neutered, cats will be provided with FVRCP (feline viral rhinotracheitis) and rabies vaccines, treated for internal and external parasites, microchipped, and ear-tipped for identification as being altered.
Coulter said a barn cat is described as "living solely outdoors, in a barn or farm property, and having an owner or caregiver." Cats fitting this description will be the only ones spayed or neutered with this promotion.
The promotion takes place this Sunday. Appointments are required and can be made by calling (519) 966-1118.
