Ami Gibson helping solve animal overpopulation

Cats creep through the woods to seek out Ami Gibson. They must sense she will care. One mother arrived with babies. That will be her last litter. All six of the felines residing with Gibson are spayed and neutered.

Gibson is executive director for the Idaho division of Concerned People for Animals. Preventing unwelcome litters is their main concern. By altering as many animals as possible, Gibson believes that her group can make a difference in the region’s overcrowded shelters.

“I really think that it’s a viable thing,” she said.

Gibson was on the board of CPA’s parent organization in California for six years. When she moved to North Idaho four years ago, she brought along her love of animals and searched for a group to join.

“They just didn’t match the same goals and ideas that I had,” she said.

Then a friend came to her who couldn’t afford his pet’s surgery. Gibson wanted to help and looked for an organization that would intervene so she could make a tax-deductible contribution. CPA came to her aid, and the idea arose to create a North Idaho division.

The California branch delivers foster care, but Gibson chose to focus strictly on spaying and neutering.

“A lot of other groups are doing things with adoption, and I just wanted to get to the core of the problem, which is animal overpopulation,” she said.

Two years ago Gibson began approaching veterinarians about discounting services for her referrals. She guaranteed payment from CPA. An initial advertisement was placed in the Nickle’s Worth for free spays and neutering.

“I got so many calls it was scary,” she said. “I had to start backing off of ‘free.’ “

This winter CPA advertised $10 and $20 surgeries. The response was great again. They’ve altered 628 animals since January.

Grant money from television game-show host Bob Barker’s DJ and T Foundation, named after his wife and mother, which has donated more than $1 million nationwide to target pet overpopulation, PETCO and other animal groups provide income for the California branch. It’s been shared with Gibson to meet North Idaho needs. Private donations and membership dues have helped. One donor gave Gibson $25,000. Another pet owner sent $250 after receiving a free surgery. Gibson has accepted artwork, cat-climbing trees and volunteer hours as payment. The nonprofit organization is run from her Twin Lakes home with 100 percent of donations going toward spaying and neutering.

Gibson coordinates a handful of volunteers. One specializes in trapping feral cats. Another is setting up a mobile clinic. On April 2, a van of equipment will travel in St. Maries, where a volunteer vet and two vet techs will offer inexpensive surgeries in a loaned space.

The growing list of St. Maries-area pet owners who can’t afford surgeries led to the mobile clinic. CPA also arranged for 20 cats to travel in March from there to Dr. Bob Vogelsang at Coeur d’Alene Spay and Neuter Clinic. He discounts services for CPA, while hearing of other vets charging more than $100 and requiring lab fees with every operation.

“I know that the prices here are going up fast,” Vogelsang said.

In an average week, Vogelsang performs 30 surgeries. He nearly doubled that during CPA’s discount drive. His rates range from $35 for a cat neutering to $85 to spay a large dog.

CPA volunteer Claudia Guevara of Post Falls has been organizing the St. Maries project.

“There’s such a high problem, especially in outlying areas, of animals running around nonaltered,” she said. “You’ve got the same people coming in every puppy and kitten season to drop off (at the shelters). These are the people we want to target.”

Sandra Kelleher is grateful for that assistance. She lives on six acres outside of Rathdrum with no neighbors in sight. She believes that’s why unwanted cats are dropped off in her yard.

Kelleher was an executive in the hotel industry. She moved from Arizona to North Idaho with a job in line. Then the after-effects of the Sept. 11 attacks hit. She lost her job and spent two years looking for another. Nearing age 50, she enrolled in nursing school.

“When you go from having a large income to virtually having it cut in half, you have to survive,” she said. “You do what you have to do.”

Kelleher had already adopted shelter cats for house pets. She’d sold half of her horses but still had a llama, two parrots, and six horses to feed. She felt badly for the eight cats who had discovered her barn, so fed them, too.

As the cat population grew, so did Kelleher’s worry about them. Her husband suggested taking them to the animal shelter, but the cats couldn’t be touched. She feared they’d be considered unfit for adoption and euthanized.

Then Kelleher learned about CPA’s spay and neutering services.

“When I saw that ad, it was like, ‘Oh, thank God,’ ” she said.

The next challenge was capturing the wild cats. CPA loaned traps. Kelleher used tuna as a bribe and caught a pair of females. A large tomcat was neutered next.

“Now the other cats aren’t falling for the trap,” she said. “They saw the big boy getting caught, and now no one’s going in.”

If she can capture the rest, CPA has agreed to pay for surgeries.

“I couldn’t, in my position right now,” Kelleher said.

In return, Kelleher has offered barn space to store cats for CPA’s next feral catch-and-neuter project.

“I really believe in what they’re doing,” she said.

Her horses give a sniff of interest to their new stable mates. The tomcat can’t be cuddled but will play with Kelleher’s whip.

“They’re our cats now,” she said.