Discussions

People just don't understand spay & neuter what happens to all the cat critters if no homes are found it breaks my heart . what is the solution ?

They need a Reduced cost clinic for spay/ neuter like they have in Winnipeg or vets could have a day a month where they do it for free to help out the community:

Counsellor’s options would be ideal. I have rented places in the past that wreak like animal piss - trained or not pets go in random places sometimes. I do believe pet owners need to buy a place of their own or pay a pet deposit if they rent...it’s not a case of “this town is a ‘no pet’ town” lol.

Why is it the veterinarians' responsibility to provide services at low or no cost? If you can't afford to vet and care for a pet (including food, vaccines, spay/ neuter), don't get one. If I can't afford a car (gas, maintenance, payments), I shouldn't get one - it's not the dealtership's responsibility to lower their cost.  
 
That said, there are programs like Spay Day (which all the Brandon vet clinics are participating in), SNIP through Funds for Furry Friends, and Save a Pound Cat.

Shebear - if someone can’t afford the full cost of a pet (including food, vaccines, stray/neuter AND any living expenses such as a pet deposit or a kennel if they’re ever away), they should find another means to love pets, such as volunteering at the humane society or walking the neighbors pet. Complaining that Brandon is a no pet city is not on. I also agree with curlysister that if you can’t afford all expenses associated with owning a pet (or a vehicle) then it’s not a feasible plan to have one and expect other people to lower service costs for you. Curlysister also has some good program suggestions in their last paragraph.

agree that Vets need to have a reduced cost either....but it would sure help in this situation. People are so blind as to how much animals are going to cost, cause they allow their irrational emotions to come into the decision, rather than common sense and advice. The problem with cats is they are a disposable item. Someone buys this animal and a month later get tired of it and they stop giving it attention/food and cause it's an outside critter it moves onto the next person that is making the problem even worse by feeding them, but not actually looking after the animals best interest.  
At least with dogs it's a little harder to do this and that's why there is no big stray dog problem here....yet! People need to stop buying these animals from "breeders" that just take their money and ship them off without caring about the future of the animals. 100's of "free" pets on ads cause someone thinks their prize mutt needs to be bred cause it's a "good" dog. Families breed their cats so that their kids can see the "beauty of birthing" and when they realize they can't get rid of the pests, out to the field they go to fend for themselves. They make it back into town for the "cat lady" to feed them. If vets offered cheaper services these "do gooders" might do more then just feeding and enabling the pests (cause that's what they are as strays) to breed, they might take them to a vet to be snipped and have a check up and shots.  
Before anyone says I am an animal hater, I am NOT. I type this as I have one dog lying under my feet and another wanting me to move my computer so she can lay her 100lbs hairy butt on my lap. I am a hater of people that breed or purchase animals on emotion, cause this is over population of animals is a result of this!  
For the poor hard done by renter that's whining as usual, suck it up, buy a house or don't get a pet! I rent a house in town and can't have my dogs with me, so they stay with my wife and kids thru the week in my house I bought and make my own rules in. My dogs are both show/working dogs and are trained far better then most dogs and even my 8mth old gs has better manners then most "trained" dogs do and I fully get why no places want pets! My dogs eat their bone for too long and gets diarrhea and no matter how much cleaning I do, it'll ALWAYS be in the carpet. I can be away for 2mths and I am still picking fur off my clothing. Why is this my landlords problem to deal with for an additional $25.00!?! So in a year, when you move out or get evicted I have a whole $300.00 to replace all the carpets, laminate flooring, drywall, doors and curtains from scratching or spraying? The problem with the over population of pets is not the landlords fault nor does it have anything to do with them.....it's people like YOU that believe your pet/furbaby/child/or whatever cool name you can think of will do no damage cause it's well trained and you are responsible. If you were as responsible as you claim you are, you would NOT have a pet before you could care for it and that includes but not limited to; vets, food, grooming and proper HOUSING! Yes I am passionate about this as I have dogs and I hate hearing how responsible y'all are, but you can't supply one of the greatest needs for your prized possession and that's HOUSING.  
Back on track and stop ranting...the only true way to slow this down is for people to stop feeding these strays, a ban on ALL pet classifieds, a ban on all unlicensed/unregulated "breeders" and for people to stop using emotion when dealing with pets.

Shebear said ""Why is this my landlords problem to deal with for an additional $25.00!?! ..." I stated $25 a month as a example of paying extra to a landlord, it wasnt meant thats a fixed price or that he has to deal with anything. It was just a possible option as an example to help some people/landlords with the option to have a pet. Obviously a landlord and potential tenant would agree on a price that is fair to both if they decided on a monthly cost or upfront deposit. "

that pays rent in brandon and a mortgage in another town this is one of the most impractical idea for any "responsible" pet owner renter to suggest. In order for this to be affordable for a landlord you would be looking at minimum $200 extra per month. So my suite I rent would be close to the same as my mortgage for a house. Move outside of Brandon and you can find all sorts of housing for cheap and you can have all the cats the by-laws allow you. You think rent is high now, wait till the landlord factors in damages a cat would make and charges you accordingly.  
But this still does not excuse the "responsible" pet owners that find out they can't rent a house in Brandon and lets their un-fixed cat out to cause an outbreak in unwanted cats. They only do this with cats as they are disposable "pets". I'm sure if they could flush them down the toilet like a goldfish they would. This issue still has NOTHING to do with housing issues in Brandon, it's irresponsible cat owners not looking after their property! Just wait till they start doing this with dogs too, then we will really have a mess on our hands.

I had a female for 17 years and she never gave any trouble and I also rented. I in fact left the place on better condition then I got it. I fostered 2 adult cats and 5 kittens and they didn't ruin anything, again in the training. We adopted one of the kittens and he is 6 months old and he has not once climbed the curtains clawed at furniture sprayed on wall or made a mess on the floor. And of course I am a responsible pet owner and he will be neutered this week even though he is strictly an indoor cat.

Shebear said "    campfire3 said "Counsellor’s options would be ideal. I have rented places in the past that wreak like animal piss - trained or not pets go in random places sometimes. I do believe pet owners need to buy a place of their own or pay a pet deposit if they rent...it’s not a case of “this town is a ‘no pet’ town” lol. " Not everyone can afford to buy a place of their own even though thats a ideal situation to have pets, but those who cant doesnt mean they shouldnt have the opportunity to own a pet. Pet deposit was mentioned in my post and this town is a 'no pets' town...had alot of people telling me this as well as my own experiences. It's hard to find a place that allows pets unless you have a really good job and can afford to pay high rent for the few places that allow pets . There are resposible/non responsible people in all income levels. I'd give up $25 a month for the happiness of having a cat would bring and giving it a loving home, and Id let the landlord see I was responsible with my cat too. "

so if you can't afford a house, you do not need a pet in a rental. I waited 13 years to finally get a cat, that I had wanted all that time, as I was renting.  
 
They may not cause damage and you may be the perfect pet owner, but what about the next person that moves in. Maybe they are allergic? The landlord will never get all the dander out - he/she will have to replace flooring, especially if it is carpet. The list of clean up can go on and on. What if your neighbors are allergenic? What if you decide to move from unforeseen circumstances and the next landlord does not allow a pet? The what, you have to get rid of it.  
 
Save the amount every month towards your own home, so you can have a pet.

I lived alone and am suffering from saved depression so my cat is more of a therapy animal then a pet. I was so lost when my 17 year old past away (that's why I fostered) but I found a new companion and friend.

And this isn't the first time I've seen a rant about landlords deciding to not let pets into their buildings either. People seem to forget that when they rent they don't get to have those kinds of choices. It's not your building. That's just the fact of it.  
 
Going back to the original topic: it makes me so sad to see all the free ads of people wanting to find homes for kittens and other smaller pets like rabbits (that I've also seen running around the city parks-don't just abandon them outside, either!!). Do your research before getting a pet and understand the responsibility that comes with taking care of it. This includes neutering AND understanding that you're probably the one that's going to take care of the animal after your kids get bored of it. Being a responsible pet owner isn't a difficult thing to accomplish with a bit of effort and planning.

Brandon has a spay and neuter incentive program called the S.N.I.P. (Spay & Neuter Incentive Program). It’s run by Funds For Furry Friends and they help absorb some or all of the cost of a spat or neuter for 1 pet per family. It’s based on each families individual income to figure out how much the program will pay for. I used this program to have my son’s cat spayed and all I paid was around $27 for the pain meds to take home for the cat! I recommend checking it out!

I think the Fee Guides put out by the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Association should exclude portion for spays and neuters, especially when there are emergency situation like overpopulation. This way, if a vet wanted to set a price for a neuter or spay that greatly diverged from the ''suggested fee'', they can do so with derision from other veterinarians, clinics, and veterinarian associations. I say derision because this is what many East Indian vets did in the Vancouver area...they charged far below what the fee guides recommended - and they still do - and they began to experience discrimination in various forms from their provincial veterinary association (due to was believed to have been complaints from other vets and clinics who were abiding by the price fee guides.) In the end, they sued the association for the discrimination and won in Supreme Court just a few years ago. What are the price fee guides? They list general suggested fees for various procedures, including spay and neuter. These are rarely provided to the public, although you can see one published in Ontario at one clinic: https://byronanimalclinic.com/files/2011/12/ON_16_SM_Fee_Guide_4.pdf. And vet clinics should be allowed to post prices online so people can see what spays and neuters cost. In Alberta,for example, the veterinary association prohibits this (one mobile clinic has stated so on their website).  
 
Edited by LizOliver, 2017-12-27 10:53:47

a pup from the Humane Society, he was neutered as part of our purchase cost. way less than doing it privately. they did not let an animal out the doors unless they were fixed. Don't know if they still do this but worth the call.