Feral cat trapping for spay and neuter program underway in and around Medicine Hat

She said on rural properties and acreages that are more spread out spaces, feral cats do still exist, but it may not be as obvious as in the city.

“With these feral cats- a lot of times a feral cat or a ‘community cat’ that we like to call them, have had very minimal socialization with humans,” she said.

“As a normal pet cat, you can go home, it’s going to crawl up on your lap. These feral cats are the ones who watch you from a distance,” she added.

“Generally, you don’t even know that they’re there most of the time because they kind of keep away, keep out of line of sight until they build kind of trust with their caregiver or their owner.”

Scoular said a caregiver could be somebody that the cats get used to, who is providing them with food and shelter on a regular basis.

Kelsey Scoular speaking to CHAT News. Ross Lavigne/CHAT News

Cats will also be vaccinated and treated for parasites, by the task force that involves up to sixty veterinarians from across western Canada.

The task force won’t make visits to private residences unless invited. Scoular said the task force will set up traps throughout the community on properties of owners they’ve previously spoken with.

She said the task force does everything with their humane traps to minimize stress on the cats, including a quiet springless door.

The traps allow for an observation and visual exam of the cats, before doing a full assessment under sedation.

A cat waits in a carrier after being captured by the task force. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

Scoular said the importance of spaying and neutering the cats is to reduce populations of cats who may have kittens in areas that aren’t very visible.

She said this year, their third doing an onsite clinic in Cypress County, the task force had the most amount of people help with a survey to assist them in locations of feral cats.

“The first couple years, people are hesitant because they don’t know what to expect,” she said.

“People think we’re going to be taking their cats and not returning them, which is not the case. There’s more than enough out there,” she added.

“A lot of times, all we need to do is go in, get them fixed, so we’re not having the reproduction and not going from three cats to 30 cats in a couple months.”

Scoular said volunteers love to see the difference that they’re making for members of the community.

by Jayk Sterkenburg

Feral cat trapping for spay and neuter program underway in and around Medicine Hat

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