SALINAS, Calif. —
A new Monterey County Civil Grand Jury report shows 70 percent of cats brought to two shelters in the last three years have been euthanized.
In fiscal year 2016/17, 898 cats and 331 dogs were put down at Monterey County Animal Shelter. Salinas City Animal Shelter also had a high rate of euthanasia in the last year, where 839 cats and 296 dogs were put down.
The animals were evaluated and deemed to be too sick, old, or not eligible for adoption.
Some dogs were also put down after experiencing kennel-induced stress.
"There is a term, called 'kennel crazy,' where the animal has been in the kennel for so long, it doesn't have the ability to be adopted by anybody," said John Ramirez, director of the county's Environmental Health Bureau.
Many of the euthanized cats were feral. In an effort to reduce the feline euthanasia rates, the county is trying to implement a trap, neuter, release program.
"Somebody can bring a cat in, have it spayed or neuter and then return it back to where they found it, rather than us taking it in and ending up euthanizing it," Ramirez said.
The program would likely help reduce the feral cat population because cats are territorial and will prevent other cats from moving in and multiplying the problem.
The county is working on getting funding from Friends of the County Animal Shelter and could start the program in as soon as a month.
When you break down the current euthanasia numbers it's almost one dog a day and almost three cats a day that are euthanized.
"Our employees care for and love animals, so anytime they have to euthanize a cat or a dog it is very hard for them," Ramirez said.
County shelter employees are sent to compassion training and staff rotate so there is a shared responsibility for the difficult task.
The problem of both cat and dog euthanasia is a community-created issue. The grand jury report cites that increased spay and neuter programs throughout the county could be beneficial.
Ramirez said the county is considering a spay and neuter ordinance similar to the one in place in Santa Cruz County. However, that ordinance is in the early phases.
The Monterey County Animal Shelter and the Salinas City Animal Shelter have been considering a merge or shared services since 2015. The move would likely save both facilities some cost.
"We're two facilities doing a lot of the same things, and so are there some economies of scale that can work together to bring us together, we're both low on staff so what does that look like when we are working together.," said Cynthia Burnham, the director of animal services for the county.
Last week, Burnham was hired by the county to look at the pros and cons of consolidating services.
At this time, Burnham can't say if it will save more lives, but she is hoping to answer that question in a report due out in October.
The grand jury's investigation did not include other animal rescue centers and shelters in the county, such as The SPCA for Monterey County.
May 22. 2018
KSBW 8
By Caitlin Conrad
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