After climbing steadily each year, the number of stray animals collected in Longview and Kelso began to level off in 2008, and Cowlitz County Humane Society officials attribute the stabilization to its aggressive spay/neuter campaign.

“It’s still more animals than we’d like to take in … but it’s a lot less of a spike than we were getting,” said the shelter’s executive director, Rick Johnson.

In 2008, the Humane Society took in 1,122 strays from Kelso, only a 45-animal increase above 2007. By contrast, the jump from 2006 to 2007 was 94 animals.

In Longview, the Humane Society took in 2,759 strays last year, 66 more animals than in 2007. By contrast, 2007 saw a increase of 126 strays more than in 2006.

“If one town goes up by 50 instead of 100, that’s progress,” Johnson said Tuesday. “It’s leveling off, so hopefully the spay/neuter clinic is working against that number.”

In October 2007, the Humane Society opened a discount spay/neuter clinic for cats with low-income owners. Since its opening, the clinic has sterilized nearly 1,200 cats, Johnson said. Tuesday, 12 cats were scheduled for surgery. In addition, the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon has sterilized and released more than 1,200 feral cats locally in the last three years, he said.

Considering that one cat can bear two litters a year, and cats are ready to breed at 5 months old, just one female cat and all her offspring can produce 250,000 cats in seven years.

“Can you imagine what 100 cats would do? Somebody’s got to start the process somewhere,” Johnson said.

Johnson also speculated that children exposed to the Humane Society’s spay/neuter education campaign that began years ago in local schools are now, as adults, remembering the lesson and getting their pets fixed.

The impact on the stray population is already becoming evident, Johnson said. As a result, cities will need to spend less money on animal control contracts with the Humane Society in future years. The cities pay the Humane Society about $110 per stray animal.

Before the spay/neuter clinic opened, Humane Society officials asked the cities of Longview and Kelso to contribute $6,000 a year to support the clinic, saying the cities’ annual expenses for animal control would show a decline within five to seven years. But if the stray animal population continued to skyrocket, so would the contract fees the cities paid the Humane Society to pick up strays, former Humane Society director Scott Chandler warned the city councils in 2006.

“If we can slow the number down right now, just slow it down, you should hopefully see it by next year getting more flat, and the next year going in reverse,” Johnson said.

One Seattle-area agency has had such good results with its spay/neuter programs, it’s had to go outside the county to find cats for adoption “because there’s none to be had,” he said.

Getting involved

Residents with proof of low-income status may get their cats sterilized at the Humane Society of Cowlitz County’s spay/neuter clinic. The fee is $35 for neutering and $50 for spaying. Other fees ($5 to $20) may apply if the animal is in heat, pregnant, obese, aggressive or missing a testicle. Vaccines are required and can be given at the time of surgery.

Call the HSCC at (360)577-0151 for an appointment.