Dear Apple Valley City Council,
I'm writing to address urgent concerns about the animal care services provided in Apple Valley City that resonate deeply with many members of our community.
While efforts have been made to increase cat visibility on the shelter's website, recent observations have revealed serious flaws in the shelter cat management process that demand immediate attention to protect these vulnerable animals.
1. Website Listing Removal: instead of changing state to “pending euthanasia “ and still listing them on the website, cats pending euthanasia are removed one day or earlier from the website, making it difficult for rescuers to identify cats in urgent need. This affects not only the cats but also the concerned citizens who want to help.
2. Extremely Short Rescue Window: Despite the shelter's state-of-the-art facility and larger capacity for cats, cats outside the adoption room face euthanasia either on the same day or within a day of becoming available, which is concerning to the residents who care deeply about animal welfare.
• On May 2nd, 8 cats were euthanized, and 5 out of 8 were euthanized the next day they were available. V.S.
• As of May 3rd, there are 31 cats in the non-adoption room and 25 cats in the adoption room/green room.
3. Economical Efficiency: The current trap-and-kill approach the city adopted to control community cats population is neither effective nor economically efficient. • Sterilizing rather than killing community cats is much less expensive in the longterm, with exponential savings in terms of reducing births. • The annual budget of AVAS is 2.4M in 2023 with around 8k animal intake, the cost for each animal is around $300 with around 7% live release rate for cats in 2023 in the shelter.
• The cost of TNVR is around $100 per cat on average (please inquire nearby city/county for details) with cats released back to the community they come from.
4. Effectiveness: The approach of impounding and euthanizing feral cats has proven ineffective in reducing cat populations, with cats continuously trapped and impounded from the same areas.
• The same trap and kill repeat year after year and is proved to be just a waste of money. Trapping and killing has been going on for over more than 10 years and the intake amount of community cats has not decreased.
• TNVR (trap, neuter, vaccinate, return) returns the existing cats to their territory which they occupy without reproducing, and they prevent other unfixed cats from coming in and breeding.
• Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) has been proven to be effective and adopted by counties nationwide and nearby counties including Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego.
5. Community preference: Surveys investigating the public's preference for managing free-roaming cats consistently indicate much stronger support for TNVR in the U.S. than trap and kill. The community does not support the needless killing of innocent cats.
Proposed Solutions:
1. A daily euthanasia list of both cats and dogs to be sent out to the community, including those pending euthanasia.
2. Granting volunteers access to the shelter to capture photos and videos of the animals will greatly enhance the visibility of these animals and provide rescuers with valuable information about their personalities and current status.
3. TNVR and low-cost spay and neuter services to be provided to the caregivers and pet owners.
• Expand the current voucher program to include community cats. Currently there are vouchers for dogs, however no vouchers for cats are available. The current voucher program should include community cats, and invite reputable organizations and veterinary clinics that offer low cost S&N to participate. • Utilize the mobile clinic to provide low cost S&N. The city can utilize Paw Mission, Animal Action League, and Stray Paws to provide mobile clinic services while try to nail down a vet to operate the mobile clinic truck.
4. Continuous efforts working with volunteers and nonprofit organizations to implement the TNVR programs in Apple Valley City. Through the TNVR program friendly cats will be taken to the shelter for adoption and others will be released back to the community where they come from.
In light of these concerns, I urge you to prioritize the welfare of these animals and take immediate action to improve the rescue process at the Apple Valley City Shelter. By doing so, you not only uphold the values of compassion and responsibility but also demonstrate your commitment to serving the needs of our residents.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I trust that you will listen to the voices of our community and take decisive steps to address these pressing issues.
Sincerely,
A very concerned community member,
Izabella Baer