People are dumping unwanted cats and kittens like never before in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area.

A significant jump was noted over the past few years by CatSpan, a non-profit organization devoted to spaying, neutering, fostering and adopting feral and semi-feral cats.

Active since 1990, the group used to manage a large regional population of truly feral cats, according to Kathy Robinson of CatSpan, but as that population dwindled over the decades, the focus has shifted to recently dumped cats, of which there are many.

B次元官网网址淭he vast majority of them are either dumped or somebodyB次元官网网址檚 moved away and left them. ItB次元官网网址檚 just been awful since COVID,B次元官网网址� Robinson said. B次元官网网址淯ntil a couple of years ago we were handling about 90 cats a year and now weB次元官网网址檙e doing 250.B次元官网网址�

The group was hopeful last year that the issue would improve with the pandemic in the rearview mirror, but 2023 was just as bad as 2022 B次元官网网址� and 2024 isnB次元官网网址檛 shaping up much better.

B次元官网网址淭his year, itB次元官网网址檚 March and weB次元官网网址檙e already up to 50,B次元官网网址� Robinson said. B次元官网网址淪o weB次元官网网址檙e heading for a couple hundred this year and we havenB次元官网网址檛 even got to kitten season yet.B次元官网网址�

Rural roads are the most common place for cats to be dumped, she added, particularly in Errington, Coombs and Whiskey Creek.

B次元官网网址淲e get some from in town, but generally what happens is we get someone who doesnB次元官网网址檛 want a cat and theyB次元官网网址檒l just take it and dump it on a country road and then it shows up at an acreage,B次元官网网址� Robinson said.

A common call to CatSpan involves a stray cat showing up at a home and the owners feed it, not thinking much of it B次元官网网址� until it shows up with a litter of kittens.

B次元官网网址淎nd then they start to get a bit panicky and they call us.B次元官网网址�

In a case like this, CatSpan will spay the mother cat (people can then have the cat back if they want) and the kittens are adopted.

The veterinary and food costs are huge, Robinson said. By the time a cat has been vaccinated, de-wormed, had a flea treatment and been spayed and neutered, the bill is approximately $400.

B次元官网网址淥ur vet bill for the last year has been approximately $130,000,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nd then weB次元官网网址檝e spent another $20-odd [thousand] in food.B次元官网网址�

The organization receives donated food, but Robinson said the high quality kitten food they buy is expensive, approximately $100 for a case of 24 cans, which does not last long, especially during B次元官网网址渒itten seasonB次元官网网址�.

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CatSpan is registered charity and is always looking for cash donations, as well as volunteers for fundraising events and people who can host a semi-feral cat on an acreage or farm. More information about donations and other ways to help is available at .

Robinson fosters many animals in her own home, and assesses if they are tame enough to be adopted or more suitable for the barn cat program.

People will dump cats for a number of reasons, Robinson said. People will move and leave a cat behind, or an owner dies and the cats winds up on its own. Or someone may simply decide they donB次元官网网址檛 want a pet anymore and drop it off in the forest.

Recently CatSpan volunteers picked up seven kittens and cats (including a few who were pregnant) from one development.

B次元官网网址淭hey didnB次元官网网址檛 want them anymore,B次元官网网址� Robinson said. B次元官网网址淭hey were selling them, and then of course because nobody wanted them they couldnB次元官网网址檛 sell them anymore, so they surrendered them to us.B次元官网网址�

She added the BC SPCA does not have the staff capacity to socialize cats that have become semi-feral living on their own for a while.

B次元官网网址淲e have a deal with them. TheyB次元官网网址檒l take the tame ones, weB次元官网网址檒l take the feral ones,B次元官网网址� she added.

Without the ongoing work by volunteers to spay, neuter and adopt, the issue can spin out of control quickly because the animals multiply surprisingly fast, Robinsons said.

B次元官网网址淚f we quit, in five years the place would be overrun with feral cats again,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檇 be living outside and theyB次元官网网址檇 be feral, and then in a couple of generations theyB次元官网网址檇 be truly feral.B次元官网网址�