By Sara Beth Williams–
Advocates urged action from the Citrus Heights City Council earlier this month, warning of sick and starving feral cats and a recently diagnosed deadly virus that has been detected in a Citrus Heights feral cat colony.
During a May 9 council meeting, several animal rescue volunteers petitioned the council, asking the city to fund $5,500 per month for spay and neuter vouchers and cat food so volunteers can feed and care for feral cat colonies, which they say have exploded in Citrus Heights. The advocates said feeding feral cats is essential to keep them healthy and eventually controlled in population through a trap, neuter, release approach.
A representative from BeKind TNR during the meeting accused Citrus Heights Animal Services officers of allowing feral cats to die because residents are allegedly being told not to feed feral cats “so they will go away.” Another volunteer rescuer relayed that a local resident alleged that Animal Services does not take in kittens and does not actively trap, fix, and release animals.
On May 22, Trap and Release feral cat advocates informed The Sentinel that a deadly virus called “feline panleukopenia” was detected in a feral cat population near Fair Oaks Boulevard and Oak Avenue.
Animal rescuer Melissa, who asked to only use her first name, told The Sentinel that another volunteer who fosters kittens, found a mother cat and six kittens. One kitten passed away and because the mom was very sick, she was brought to Kitten Central of Northern California located in Placer County where she was diagnosed with feline panleukopenia.
Two days later, the family of cats was taken to VCA Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic, according to Melisa. A panleukopenia diagnosis was confirmed, and the cats were euthanized due to extreme suffering.
The American Veterinary Medical Association states that feline panleukopenia is a highly contagious, potentially fatal disease of cats and adds that kittens are most severely affected.
“This could be very serious,” Melissa said, adding that the volunteer who fostered the family of cats that died now has to wait a year before she can foster again. She also warned that anyone who pets an infected cat outside can transfer the disease to other cats indoors.
Volunteers with BeKind TNR, a nonprofit that traps, spay or neuters, and release feral cats, and any other volunteers who actively care for feral cat colonies are now all at risk of spreading the deadly virus because no one knows the precise origin of the first infected cat, Melissa said.
Melissa advises domestic cat owners to vaccinate their cats as soon as possible if they haven’t done so, bring them inside if possible, and keep a close eye on the symptoms of the disease.
City response
In a statement to The Sentinel, Citrus Heights Chief of Police Alex Turcotte said in part, “There were several comments about perceived service deficiencies by our staff and department. We take these comments seriously and are looking into these issues to determine where we can, and should, improve our service.”
According to the city’s Animal Services page, outdoor feeding of feral cats can attract other unwanted wildlife, including skunks, raccoons, and squirrels. The Animal Services department suggests feeding indoors and removing outdoor food before nightfall. The city also encourages residents to spay or neuter domesticated outdoor cats.
“I agree with the TNR group representatives that this is a societal problem,” Mayor Bret Daniels told The Sentinel following the May 9 meeting, adding that the city needs to include funding to help control the feral cat population.
Vice Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa met with local feral cat trap and release volunteers on Friday, May 17, to discuss ways in which BeKind TNR can raise funds to help feral cats. Karpinski-Costa said she doesn’t think the city has the funds to allocate toward feral cat colonies but emphasized that multiple grant opportunities are available from area charities and organizations.
Sentinel staff found that multiple Citrus Heights veterinary clinics and hospitals charge an average of $350 and $400 to spay or neuter a cat, depending on size and gender. Representatives of four different veterinary clinics also advised that exams and blood work are required, which add an additional cost.
While several low-cost spay and neuter clinics operate in Sacramento and Placer counties, all have wait-lists for surgical appointments. Auburn’s nonprofit Animal Spay and Neuter Clinic has reported in an update on their website that they are not currently scheduling female dog or cat spay surgeries.
Multiple animal rescue volunteers told the City Council and The Sentinel that all area shelters are full and not enough residents are willing to take in feral cats and kittens.
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