How Long Do Animal Shelters Keep Pets Before Euthanizing Them

Our recent look at life and decease at theOrange County brute shelterhas elicited a great outpouring of questions — and ideas on how to make things better — from our readers.

"You all (the O.C. watchdog) write some practiced articles and provide a valuable service," Chris List wrote to united states of america past email. "Yet, every time I read one of your articles I walk abroad with more unanswered questions. How about letting someone provide feedback on your articles for completeness? This article provides a good example…."

List then went on to ask a good number of pointed questions, and nosotros took them to the guy who could actually answer them — Ryan Drabek, director of OC Animal Care. Drabeck addresses things like "What percentage of animals that are micro-chipped are killed?" and "How many days are cats kept before beingness killed?" and "What defines an underage/neonatal kitten and why are they automatically killed (as is unsaid in the article)? What are the rules regarding that?"

We give thanks Drabek for his openness, and willingness to engage. His answers to Long's questions are below.

Q. Only 173 cats chipped out of 13,000 cats? That seems extremely low then that begs the question… Is every true cat and kitten scanned for a microchip and checked for other identification (SSN tattoo)?

A. I believe the quote was only 173 were "wearing identification", so this would include microchips, licenses, a tag that says the animals name and phone number, etc. Regarding microchips, every cat, dog, bunny, etc. (including deceased animals) are scanned in the field (if possible), upon intake to our dispensary (their first stop at the shelter), during their stay (when treatment and/or vaccinations occur), and again prior to adoption or euthanasia. It is possible for microchips to "migrate" from where they were injected, so our staff is trained to comprehend the entire body of the animal with the scanner. We've actually found a microchip in an fauna'due south leg!! The unfortunate fact is that cat identification in Orange County, in full general, is very low. 1 of our primary goals is to return animals to their owners equally it saves us shelter space, euthanasia, and the extra expenses associated with both. We practice provide depression-toll microchips at our monthly low-cost vaccine clinics here at the shelter and we recently purchased a Tag Machine (metallic tags with pets name and phone number) and so our Public Education staff can paw out free ID tags for pets at events.

Q. What percentage of animals that are micro-chipped are killed?

A. This is not a percentage we track – specific to microchips. We practice track the percent of animals wearing ID that are euthanized. In 2010, it was fourteen% of ID'd dogs and 40% of ID'd cats. In 2011, it was about the aforementioned. The primary reason for an ID'd brute to exist euthanized would be a combination of both the animal'due south unadoptability and either the owners refusal to redeem their pet or their non-response to our daily contacts (phone, mail, email, etc.). There are also those owners who don't register or re-annals their microchips with a current address and/or phone number which can send our staff in circles trying to locate the owner.

Q. How many days are cats kept before being killed?

A. It's important to note here that our shelter does not take a policy for 'maximum property periods'. State law requires that we agree all dogs and cats for a minimum of four days and dogs and cats wearing ID's are held for a minimum of 7 days. Currently, our average length of stay for all animals is 8 days. Yet, we've maintained animals for as long as 8-9 months earlier they've been adopted. That'south certainly not the norm, but our volunteers do a wonderful job of getting the animals out every mean solar day, exercised, accustomed to some basic training, and keeping them happy!

Q. What is the divergence between a feral cat and someone'due south (not-neutered) pet?

A. Temperament of the animal. Feral cats are those that take had no social interaction with humans. These cats will non allow a homo to come shut much less pet, option upwardly, and/or interact in any way. State Police defines them as "totally unsocialized to people". UC Davis' Koret Shelter Medicine program was very complimentary of our feral cat housing, noting it as one of our "greatest strengths", and its ability to decipher between a feral true cat and a scared domestic cat.

Q. What defines an underage/neonatal kitten and why are they automatically killed (as is implied in the article)? What are the rules regarding that?

A. It's important to note that very few neonatal kittens are euthanized 'automatically'. State Law specifies that "Newborn animals that demand maternal intendance and have been impounded without their mothers may be euthanized without being held for owner redemption or adoption." It is non the norm for us to euthanize immediately unless there are significant health issues. We will generally give our non-profit animal rescue groups the opportunity to prefer should they be able to. Country Constabulary likewise specifies that "Adoptable animals include only those animals eight weeks of age or older…" This is due to the fact that all cats and dogs must be spay/neutered prior to adoption. Spay/neuter surgery cannot accept place prior to 8 weeks of age. With that in mind, we sent out over i,000 neonates/underage kittens to rescues terminal year. Another 497 went to foster care until they could come back to the shelter to be spay/neutered and adopted. You tin meet that the number of kittens coming to united states far exceed what our rescue and foster communities are currently able to handle. With that in mind, we and the non-profit rescue customs focus on those kittens with a loftier potential for adoption – significant, we review the health of the kitten and the amount of care it will need.

Though I simply take one year of data that supports this, I believe focusing our efforts and funding on Trap Neuter Release programs may have a significant impact on the numbers of unwanted litters that come to our shelter (and many other shelters in Orange County) each year.

Q. How exactly does the TNR program work? Could possible a Watchdog investigation show that TNR may actually exist less expensive than trap/house/kill (due to several factors including reduced stray litters) and, therefore, why is a lack of "extra funding" holding upward the program?

A. TNR basically means that a gratis roaming cat is trapped, spay/neutered, and then released back into the area that it came from. Studies have shown that this is a very successful method to reduce feral cat populations and unwanted litters of kittens. Hither's a link for some further information: http://www.petside.com/article/trap-neuter-render-programs-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work

The data on toll would suggest that TNR is a more expensive venture initially. Reason existence is that, generally speaking, whether we adopt, TNR, or euthanize an brute we have to agree it for the time specified by State Law (this is an expense we already incur, and so information technology wouldn't change either way). However, euthanasia and disposal is a price to our bureau of approximately $31 per animal. TNR, which would require us to Spay/Neuter, Identify (eartip and mayhap microchip), and vaccinate the cat, would price us approximately $65 ($40 for Spay/neuter + $15 for microchip + $ten for vaccinations). This estimated cost doesn't include infinite (surgery and recovery) and/or staff time needed. However, the argument can exist made that the money saved over time, due to decreased intake of feral cats and litters, would more than make up the extra expense. I have data from other agencies that show this to exist the case in their areas, simply information technology is hard to speculate on how information technology would bear on our expenses over time until we have implemented and maintained such a program.

Myself and my staff have been diligently working over the concluding yr to place expenses nosotros can cutting in our budget, possible additional revenues, and other artistic ways to brainstorm a TNR plan. We accept also been meeting with local not-profit groups with volunteers already involved in doing TNR that may exist able to assist united states, which would reduce some of these costs. I believe when we are able to pilot such a plan, hopefully very before long, the impacts will prove the plan to exist successful and potentially sustainable. Might be wishful thinking on my function, but nosotros will never know if we don't endeavor!

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Source: https://www.ocregister.com/2012/03/01/qa-how-long-are-cats-kept-before-being-killed/

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