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DRAFT  <br />Orange County Animal Services <br />Free Roaming Cat Task Force Recommendations <br /> <br />Prepared by DeWana Anderson, DVM <br />August 1, 2014 <br /> <br /> <br />Table of Contents: <br /> <br /> <br />1.Summary <br />2.Goals <br />3.Benefits <br />4.Strategies and Initiatives <br />5.Resources <br />6.Program Evaluation <br />7.Appendices <br />  <br />  <br />1. Summary <br />  <br />In 2010, OCAS developed and implemented it’s Strategic Plan to Manage Pet <br />Overpopulation (appendix A). By incorporating plans for low cost and targeted <br />spay/neuter surgeries and developing relationships with placement partners, this plan has <br />been very successful in both decreasing the overall number of pets that enter the <br />sheltering system and increasing the number of live releases from the shelter. (XXXX) <br /> <br />As a county and community of people that care deeply about their pets, we feel can do <br />much better. The free roaming cat population in our county is still very large and <br />constitutes a large portion of the pets we shelter. In 2013, 1400 cats entered the shelter. <br />Only 4% or 56 of those cats were returned from the shelter to their original owner. <br />Overall, 35% were euthanized and 65% were either placed into adoption organizations or <br />new homes. Over 20% of the dog population sheltered was reclaimed by their owners. It <br />is suggested that 3 times the number of cats sheltered exist and free roaming in a <br />community (JAVMA cite) and that each un-spayed female can produce 2.5 litters each <br />year each consisting on average of 6 kittens (JAVMA cite). XXXX <br /> <br />We don’t know the exact reason for the discrepancy in cat and dog reclamation, but we <br />do know that the cat’s ability to survive outside a home for extended periods is good so <br />they are not as likely to enter a shelter quickly after wandering away from a property or <br />caretaker. Think of it this way, if you drive by a dog without a person on a public street you <br />try to capture it or call animal control/first responders for help in making it safe and getting it <br />back to his owner. If a cat is running across a public street, we all just try not to hit it with our <br />car but rarely is there an effort to collect the cat and find out if it has a family. <br /> <br />These independent cats or free roaming cats are cats that are loosely associated with <br />one or more families, caretakers, or a community or have no association with anyone. <br />1