Daily Press News Editor
For most people, the idea of simply leaving behind a family pet, or dumping it by the side of the road, is abhorrent. But it happens in Montrose and when it does, it’s literally a crime.
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“We do write them a citation for cruelty to animals under city statute,” she said. “The judge does not take this lightly and neither do we.”
Depending on the severity of the offense, those convicted can face up to $1,000 in fines and one year in jail.
The city animal shelter takes surrendered animals, but sometimes, those relinquishing them balk at paying the fee, Scott said, and have been known to dump their pets alongside the road after leaving the shelter. “They get caught,” Scott said.
Pet abandonment takes its toll on animal control officers and staff, she added — the worst are kittens dumped off when they are still nursing. These need to be bottle fed virtually around the clock and cannot be left alone in the shelter at night; if no one is available to foster the nurslings, they have to be put down.
Jackie Schoonover, president of the Delta County Humane Society, said her pet-fostering network has assisted the Montrose animal shelter with baby animals, including taking care of a pregnant pit bull and her pups when they arrived. Schoonover also helped bottle-feed five kittens, growing so attached that she kept them.
“We kind of all work together as much as we can,” she said.
Schoonover also said people have left their dogs and cats upon moving. “Unfortunately, sometimes, they’ve left the dogs chained,” she said. “We’re getting more and more calls like that — but at least people are aware that animals need help.”
Kim Caldwell, shelter supervisor for the Second Chance Humane Society in Ridgway, also had her share of horror stories, including reports of animals tossed from (stopped) cars. “I don’t know why they just can’t call,” she said. “There are enough shelters and Humane Societies.”
Second Chance serves Ouray and San Miguel counties and is only able to take Montrose animals when there is room. It is a no-kill shelter; the city shelter is not.
Caldwell, however, has yet to encounter anyone unwilling to pay a relinquishment fee at Second Chance.
The myth — that cats and dogs can “do just fine” on their own — may be partly to blame for the number of abandoned pets. Dogs left on their own tend to rove in packs that can wreak havoc on livestock and can pose a threat to public safety. Feral cats decimate local bird populations and deadly feline diseases, such as the feline leukemia virus, are more prevalent among these populations than in tame house cats.
Abandoned cats, though thought of as “independent,” have it especially hard
“Winter is incredibly hard on them,” Scott said. “Look at them. That’s not an animal that has adapted well to being out, without any care from human beings.They are domestic cats that somebody has discarded. ...it’s no different than taking a couple of German shepherds out and dumping them. It’s not a good thing.”
Cats also have natural predators, such as coyotes or even owls. “It’s not a glamorous existence,” Scott said.
Those cats with the best shot at survival in the wild are those taught by their mothers about capturing prey. “If you get an adult cat that has never been taught that ... they’re going to have a difficult time,” Scott said. “Abandoning a cat is condemning that cat to death.”
Scott said the best thing to do for a stray cat — meaning one that clearly has no home — is to call animal control. “It’s not the same as seeing a neighbor’s cat running loose,” she said. “We’re interested in the cats they know are wild,” particularly kittens, because they can be conditioned to be pets.
There’s not much else to do about a feral cat but euthanize it, Scott said.
Population control crucial
Cats and dogs, whether feral or tame, will breed if humans don’t step in to spay or neuter them. Doing so is the first step in limiting the number of unwanted cats and dogs, animal experts agree.
Scott said the shelter is considering making a spay or neuter mandatory for the animals adopted there. “But we haven’t put that policy in place yet. Spay and neuter is the biggest thing. ...in a perfect world, everybody would do that.”
Right now, the city has a reimbursement program, whereby those who adopt animals from the shelter can receive a rebate for half the average cost of a spay or neuter upon furnishing a receipt.
The Montrose Animal Protection Agency secures grant funding to offer a similar program. Member Connie Pittenger said securing financial assistance for the procedure is one of MAPA’s primary goals. The organization operates a voucher program, through which a pet owner takes the voucher in to his or her veterinarian and the vet sends it back.
With other money raised through non-grant sources, MAPA offers a rebate program similar to the city’s. “We do seek out other sources of funding,” Pettinger said.
The organization’s next fundraiser is “Santa Paws,” where pet owners can have a photo made of their cat or dog with Santa. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11 at Murdoch’s.
Pittenger said 85 percent of total money raised goes to MAPA’s spay and neuter programs.
The good news, according to Scott, is that the majority of Montrose residents take care of their pets. “There’s a lot to be said for that,” she said.
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