Clinics often end up responsible party for unwanted cats

A common problem for many veterinary clinics arrives in the dark of night or early morning: abandoned cats, often pregnant or with kittens, dumped outside the door.

It’s a problem vet offices don’t need, and those in the industry say can be avoided if people scheduled spaying or neutering when a kitten is four- to sixth-months old. Plus, cats left in unfamiliar surroundings may run off scared only to get hit by a car.

“Every couple of months we get cats dropped either in the morning or in the evening when we’re not here,” said Sue Valentine, who manages Pioneer Veterinary Services. Her husband, Seth Valentine, is the veterinarian at the clinic on Highway 27 near 32nd Avenue.

“We see kittens and cats both. Usually, it’s an adult and quite often they’re pregnant. They go into the highway and get hit, or they go into the woods and get eaten. Most of them are so scared they take off running.”

Those at the clinic help the cats when possible and have rescued some.

“People don’t take the responsibility to take care of neutering or spaying, and the cat becomes a burden, so they just try to get rid of it,” Valentine said.

Vouchers toward spaying and neutering – like a paper coupon – can be a solution for pet owners strapped for cash. The vouchers are available when cats are licensed through the county animal shelter or municipalities such as the city of Liberty Lake.

Spokane County Regional Animal Protective Service offers vouchers with licensing that are worth $45 for a cat spay and $27.50 for a cat neuter. The pet owner then takes the voucher into a veterinarian. A few clinics will do the spaying or neutering for the voucher amount.

Veterinarian Nissa Gese at Harvard Animal Hospital recalled when a laundry basket with a mother cat and kittens was left in front of the door before the clinic opened.

“Of course we took care of them and adopted out the kittens,” Gese said. “I’m sure a lot of clinics have an office cat or ones they’ve adopted out.”

Harvard Animal Hospital in Otis Orchards also has an arrangement with the city of Liberty Lake to hold strays for five days to allow owners a chance to claim them. “We tend to keep cats longer and sometimes we have adopted them out.”

Two pregnant stray cats had litters while at the clinic. “We had 15 kittens between the two and found homes for all.”

Another Spokane Valley clinic, Mountain Empire Veterinary Services, has taken in pregnant cats from the shelter and adopted out the kittens, followed by spaying or neutering. Rescues are done through its Julia’s Jungle program.

Besides preventing pregnancy, early spaying or neutering may prevent territorial habits such as fighting, spraying or wandering, said Valentine.

While many cats don’t survive abandonment, the Pioneer clinic has rescue stories, too. The Valentines have four adopted cats, now at home. Two others became clinic cats.

“We can’t take anymore,” Valentine added. “Some of our staff have also adopted.”

One clinic cat, MaMa, was an area stray, and one day led Valentine outside.

“I went outside and she crossed two fields, making sure I was following her into an empty barn. She showed me her four beautiful babies. I picked the babies up and MaMa followed me back to the clinic. We found homes for the kittens.”

Valentine hopes more pet owners see their responsibility.

“When people get an animal they should realize beforehand that it’s part of their responsibility to get the animal spayed or neutered if it hasn’t already been done.”