September 24, 2012
Monday PM

Recently a Ketchikan family had the sad experience of finding at the Landfill a sack of kittens and their mother. The mother cat and all of her kittens except one had been crushed by a vehicle while they were trapped in the bag. Whether they were run over after being dropped alive in the Landfill or whether they were deliberately run over prior to being thrown away there makes no difference. They died a horrific death. The person responsible for this should be thoroughly ashamed.

There is no excuse for this kind of cruelty. Both local veterinary clinics offer spay and neuter services. The Ketchikan Humane Society offers low-cost spay and neuter clinics for cats and dogs, and free altering for feral cats. The Borough's Animal Shelter is available for dropping off unwanted animals. It is free to Borough residents. Many of these animals are adopted into loving homes. Those that are never adopted, and there are countless numbers of them, are humanely euthanized by a licensed veterinarian.

This is why we stress the importance of spaying and neutering. If you pass on your unwanted kittens and puppies without making sure they are spayed or neutered, you are part of the problem. You have no idea what happens to those small creatures once they leave your care. No doubt someone once thought that mother cat was the sweetest little thing. She and her babies deserved a better end than they got.

Island to Island Veterinary Clinic would like to thank the responsible and caring family who adopted the surviving kitten and who just made an appointment to have her spayed. We wish you a most happy life with her.

Dr. Marna J. Hall
Ketchikan, AK

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