Unwanted kitty knows pain of overpopulation

The tiny tuxedo-colored kitten huddled on the towel in the bottom of the cardboard box. She was trembling and having a hard time holding her head up.

"We found the whole litter, six of them, behind the store this morning" Debbie said. "I think someone dumped them off. We're going to keep three of them; we found homes for two more, but this one can't use one of her legs and we're worried about her."

I gently picked up and caressed the kitten; she immediately started purring. She was dehydrated and could not use her right hind leg. Careful palpation of the limb did not reveal any obvious fractures or bruises. I suggested that she be taken to the clinic for fluids and X-rays to determine what might be the problem; Debbie agreed.

The pet overpopulation problem in Helena is real. Every year many young animals are left at the Lewis and Clark Humane Society because there are not enough homes for them. Others, especially kittens, are dumped off where they might be found and cared for. Tragically, I've seen litters that were simply discarded in garbage bins — often while the kittens are still living.

The LCHS in conjunction with the communities it serves sponsored a five-day Spay Neuter Improves Pets (SNIP) demonstration last October. This event, supported by the Montana Spay Neuter Taskforce, spayed or neutered any animal brought in at no cost to the owner. The only way we will solve the pet over population problem is by spaying and neutering our companion animals.

Local veterinarians along with the veterinarians from the Taskforce work together to accomplish this goal.

During the SNIP event in October, over 1,350 companion animals were spayed or neutered. More than half of these animals belonged to people who had never owned a pet that was spayed or neutered. Statistics show that when communities sponsor two or more events like the SNIP demonstration within a calendar year, the numbers of unwanted animals brought into Animal Shelters drops by up to 40 percent.

Bitsy the kitten was a tiny example of the devastating pet overpopulation problem we have right here in Helena. This September the Montana Spay Neuter Taskforce will return to Helena for a Phase II demonstration. This two-day event is smaller than the Phase I event, and focused toward low-income families with companion animals who need to be spayed or neutered. There will be a nominal fee involved with the second event. For information, please contact the LCHS at 442-1660.

I administered fluids to Bitsy under her skin. She perked up almost immediately and seemed interested in some food. She was thin and ate ravenously. I X-rayed her hind leg, pelvis and spine. There was no fracture, so we assumed that her problem was due to trauma possibly from when she was dropped off behind the store.

The next day she was standing, albeit favoring her hind leg. Her little mew made me smile when I lifted her from her cage. She purred happily and rubbed her face against my hand. A home awaited her as soon as she was released from the hospital. Her humans were delighted to have her come home and her spay surgery is scheduled for next week.

Tia Nelson is a local veterinarian specializing in an integrated approach to animal health that combines traditional veterinary medicine with holistic, natural practices.