I am respectfully sending the same email as last month, because the same issues sadly still apply. Please implement changes to cat management in Apple Valley. A very short summary of the issues (discussed in more depth below) is 1) please give a longer rescue window to AVAS cats, 2) please implement a community cat TNVR program to humanely manage the feral cat population in a more financially sustainable way, and 3) please implement a free spay and neutering programme for the local community, where they can bring both pets and strays to be sterilized free of charge / at a heavily reduced cost.
Please help Apple Valley treat animals with compassion and reflect the values of the majority of the population you represent.
Many thanks,
Kim
Dear Apple Valley City Council,
I'm writing to discuss my concerns about the animal welfare in Apple Valley City.
I am grateful for the improvement of increased cat visibility on the shelter's website, however there are still a number of areas of concern, which I would like to outline below.
These concerns relate to the shelter's cat management process.
1. Early removal of euthanasia listed cats from the website:
CURRENTLY: cats pending euthanasia are removed one day or earlier from the website PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT: if cats were kept online and marked as "pending euthanasia", it would make it easier for rescuers to identify cats in urgent need. A daily euthanasia list for cats and dogs issued to the community would facilitate rescuers and help to keep citizens informed.
2. Length of Rescue Window:
CURRENTLY: Residents have expressed concerns that cats placed outside the adoption room risk euthanasia either on the same day or within a day of becoming available. They feel this is far too short to give the cats a chance at life.
2.1 On May 2nd, 8 cats were euthanized, and 5 out of 8 were euthanized the next day they were available.
PROPOSED SOLUTION: Allowing a longer window to allow rescue is ideal, but may not always be practical. As a compromise, it is proposed that volunteers are allowed access to the shelter to capture photos and videos of the animals. As well as improving the visibility of these animals, it will also provide rescuers with valuable information about their personalities and current status. This will allow the most at risk cats to be focused on and access will also convince the community of the open and transparent running of the shelter.
3. Community cat management:
CURRENTLY: The city's trap-and-kill approach towards the community cat population is both ineffective and economically unsound.
3.1 Sterilizing rather than killing community cats is less expensive in the long-term, with exponential savings in terms of reducing births.
-- 3.1.1 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.
-- 3.1.2 The cost of TNVR is around $100 per cat on average, with cats released back to the community they come from.
3.2 The approach of catching and euthanizing feral cats has proven ineffective in reducing cat populations, with cats continuously trapped from the same areas. -- 3.2.1 The current trap and kill approach has been used for over a decade, and yet the intake amount of community cats has not decreased. Put simply, it does not work. -- 3.2.2 In contrast, TNVR allows the existing cats to return their territory, which they will occupy without reproducing. Their sterlization prevents other unfixed cats from coming in and breeding.
-- 3.2.3 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.
3.3 Community preference: Surveys investigating the public's preference for managing freeroaming cats consistently indicate much stronger support for TNVR in the U.S. than trap and kill. There is strong community support for this cheaper, more effective, and more humane approach,
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
Expansion of the existing low cost spay and neuter voucher program to include community cats as well as pets. Invitation of reputable organizations and veterinary clinics that offer low cost spay and neutering to participate.
Use of 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. Meanwhile, a vet should be contracted to operate the mobile clinic truck
Partnership 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. They will be unable to breed, offering a long term solution in the management of community cat numbers.
I implore you to please take steps to improve the rescue process at the Apple Valley City Shelter. It is currently inefficient, economically unviable and cause for concern amongst the community. By addressing this, you can uphold the values of compassion and responsibility, as well as demonstrating your commitment to serving the needs of our residents.
Thank you for your time. I trust you will listen to the voices of our community and take action to address these urgent issues.
Best wishes,
Kim