Money in the Kitty
Abundance of cats has SPCA lowering adoption rates
By Jenni Terry
When my husband and I first moved to Northern Virginia six years ago, money was so tight we never even considered owning a pet.
This occurred to us not long ago while walking back to our apartment from CVS, toting a $12 box of kitty litter and $10 bag of chow. We quickly did the rough math together—litter, food, occasional pet sitters, replacing down comforters we’ve washed and rewashed into oblivion since our cat loves to upchuck on them. Plus, we also have pet insurance—millions of Americans may still be uninsured, but our housecat is covered.
The cost of owning a pet is not something I have heard discussed during the looping conversations about “these challenging economic times” on television and in real life, but it is an added cost that I imagine fewer families and singles are taking on due to tighter household budgets.
Yet I was relieved to learn from Dana Meeker, president of the SPCA of Northern Virginia, that cat adoptions have actually increased over the last year. But that’s just one side of the story. Meeker says cat adoptions have gone up largely because the supply of cats has increased dramatically. She attributes that in part to the weak economy, citing abandonments, failure to spay and neuter cats for cost-saving purposes and hoarding situations as reasons for the recent boon.
“If the flood doesn’t stop, it’s going to be a problem,” Meeker says.
Dog adoptions facilitated through the SPCA of Northern Virginia have remained level since the organization handles adoptions for dogs passed on to them by shelters and not by drop-offs or calls as with cats.
Meeker says the organization lowered the adoption rates for kittens in September to address the problem. While the fee for adopting one kitten is still $125, the fee for adopting two has dropped from $200 to $150.
The SPCA of Northern Virginia’s cat adoption fee covers the minimum vet care the organization provides to all cats or kittens including a vet exam, testing for feline AIDS/leukemia (FIV/FELV), one distemper shot, de-worming, a flea treatment as well as a rabies shot and spaying/neutering for cats 4-months old or older.
Still, Meeker says there are people who come in expecting to walk out with a $25 cat.
“If somebody wants something cheap, they should adopt from a shelter,” Meeker suggests, such as the Fairfax Country Animal Shelter, a partner of the SPCA of Northern Virginia.
Meeker says adopting an older cat is a smart option for those who want to save money since cats over 4-months old have had all the shots they will need for up to a year and may have already been spayed or neutered. Adopting an older cat is doubly beneficial to the SPCA since most people only want to adopt kittens. Meeker said it is even considering waiving the fee completely for adult cats.
For now, the fee is still in place as the SPCA deals with increased expenses in caring for the animals—higher vet bills, and costs for pet food as well as supplies for more foster homes.
If my plight for the SPCA has not been convincing enough, try imagining Sarah McLaughlin’s “Arms of the Angel” playing softly in the background.
(May 2011)