I had emailed some questions back to the Operations Captain and recieved the following answers. I would like to thank the Operations Captain for answering my questions.
I questioned the $85-$100 charge for spay and neutering and commented above that this could discourage adoptions.
“When the ACO receives a request for possible adoption of cat(s), he does not discuss any fees unless they request it and he contacts the Community Animal Clinic on 3rd Street for the interested party, who quotes us the price. I did some further checking at other animal clinics and in the future we will be providing the costs of all the clinics to potential adopters of cats. The Community Animal Clinic charges are as follows: $70 Spay, $47 Neuter, $13.50 Rabies Shot, $25.50 Distemper Shot (range from $86 – 109 per cat). The Wythe County Animal Clinic charges are as follows: $41 Spay, $26 Neuter, $2 1st –time customer fee, $6 Rabies Shot, $15 Distemper Shot (range from $49 – 64 per cat). The Smyth County Animal Clinic charges as follows: $100 Spay, $63 Neuter, $38-52 Shots (dependent upon age of cat) (range from $101 – 152 per cat). This does not include the cost of the cat tag and/or other required shots.” As you can see this is much more reasonable than what was previously stated as $85-$100 just for the spay or neutering. There are cheaper places for Smyth County as well. Margaret B. Mitchell’s clinic in Bristol charges $50 to spay a cat and $35 to neuter a cat, shots would be extra, of course Wythe County Animal Clinic could be used for you as well.
I was told in my letter that that the disposal fee was $25 up to 1 ton for the disposal of the cats and .75cents for the drug per cat and I had asked is the $25 fee to dispose of dead cats a one time fee at end of year or each time cats are disposed of? How often disposed of?
“The $25 fee is charged for each load of cats disposed of. The animals are stored in compliance with Virginia State Code and disposed of once a month. So, using the stats for 2007 (242 cats euthanize) with the cost of the serum to euthanize the cats(.75 cents) and the disposal fees($300 for the year), the cost to dispose of dead animals (cats alone) for 2007 was $1.99 per cat. This does not include disposal of dead animals that are picked up by the ACO during his normal working hours. These animals carcasses are disposed of with the cats as required by Virginia State Code. Factoring this in will actually reduce the price of disposal per animal. Our agency has never had a ton of animals to dispose of at any one time, which would drive the price up to $50 per load.” He did not mention the cost of the shelter utilities and the salary of the ACO which may also be a cost factor. Food for the cats etc.. Collecting boarding fees by adopting out cats would help offset some of these charges even if a little.
I had asked who decides if a cat is adoptable?
“Several entities are involved in deciding if an animal is adoptable. The first is the ACO. He has total discretion in this issue and makes that decision based on the condition and temperament of the animals that are picked-up by him. Feral cats are not adopted at all. Conditions involve how wild/mean they are because of child issues, how sick they are, etc. The Humane Society representative is notified of any cats that are adoptable. The next entity involves the Humane Society representative. As stated before, she is contacted in regards to any cats that the ACO deems adoptable. In addition, she comes to the shelter to observe the animals in holding to determine if any are adoptable. The third entity are the Citizens. They can call or come by to observe the cats in holding and make their own decision to adopt. We do not bar anyone from coming down to look at animals for a possible adoption. Adoption hours are 8-9 am and 2-3 pm Monday through Friday for pick-up or release.”
If someone surrenders a cat to the shelter are they told that the cat will be euthanize?
“YES, not only are they advised that the cat will be euthanize, but they must sign a form acknowledging this fact and that the cat becomes the property of the Animal Shelter. The form is gone with the owner by the ACO before it is signed. These forms are kept on file for inspection by the Virginia Office of State Veterinary Services. The Wytheville Animal Shelter only takes in cats from the Town of Wytheville. We do not take any cats from Wythe County citizens. Although there is no Virginia State Code that requires our agency to hold surrendered animals and the ACO can euthanize these animals immediately upon acceptance, he usually holds on to cats for 3-4 days before doing so. Again, doing this depends on the age of the cat, overall condition(sick, mean, etc.), conditions that cats have been kept in, and temperament of the cat. Required holding times, established by Virginia State Code are as follows: Feral Cats (4 days), Strays (7 days), Bite Cases (10 days), and Cats w/ ID (12 days).”
If you have any experience at this shelter please let us know.
