Kitten and puppy spike forces Saskatoon SPCA to seek change

The Saskatoon SPCA wants to shorten the amount of time that it is required to hold onto animals brought to the shelter before sending them off to a new home.

It's better if they go home quickly.- Patricia Cameron, SPCA

"A shelter, no matter what you do, is going to be more stressful to animals," said SPCA executive director Patricia Cameron, in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

Animal welfare is one of the reasons the SPCA is asking a committee at Saskatoon city hall to shorten the length of stay for animals from five days, to three.

"Animals that we're holding for five days, especially infant animals, it's better if they go home quickly," Cameron said.

The SPCA's argument is that, for the most part, lost pets that end up in the shelter arereclaimed by their owners quickly. In cases, owners choose to leave a pet in the shelter, a delay that happens most often over a weekend. Shortening the mandatory stay might foster responsible pet ownership.

In a case where a pet owner is unable to get to the shelter on time because of extenuating circumstances, the SCPA will hold onto the animal.

Too many kittens and puppies being abandoned

For kittens and puppies, theSPCAis asking for no waiting period.

The SPCAsaid that the overwhelming majority of kittens and puppies brought to the shelter have been abandoned, and no owner is going to come in and claim them.

Also, the numbers have spiked, so the SPCA wants to be able to adopt kittens and puppies out right away.

"The longer an animal stays in our shelter, obviously, the less capacity we have to bring in more animals," said Cameron.

The SPCA is asking for permission to adopt kittens and puppies out immediately.

The shelter's proposal goes to the Advisory Committee on Animal Control today. An immediate decision is not expected.