New surgery suite at the Edmonton pound saves hundreds of cats

Two years ago, staff at Edmonton’s Animal Care and Control Centre were making tough choices about which cats and dogs to save. This year, they performed hundreds of surgeries in-house, saving potentially thousands of dollars a surgery, which allowed them to give more and better treatments to unclaimed pets. For the first time in recent memory, 100 per cent of all pets deemed adoptable in 2015 were saved.


The centre impounds strays or abandoned animals. It holds unlicensed animals for three days, licensed ones for 10 days, as required by provincial legislation, before sending good candidates back out for adoption.

Edmonton officials have been pitching various ways to reduce euthanasia rates since at least 2008, when about a third of the 4,887 cats and dogs brought to the pound were put down. This year, roughly 6,300 animals were turned in and only nine per cent were put down.

“We’re meeting that need and doing it in a more cost effective fashion,” said Ron Gabruck, the city’s director for animal care and pest management. “The benefit of this suite in terms of ongoing cost savings and the subjective side of what we do here is immense. How do you put a price tag on us offering the ethical care that meets community standards?”

Cats mauled in suspected dog attacks

Natalie Linton told 6PR that she was forced to put her cat down on Friday after it was fatally mauled by a dog.



Ms Linton said more than 30 people in the Ballajura area had also shared stories of two rogue dogs attacking their cats.

Ballajura resident Marley Nugent posted on the Ballajura Community Watch Facebook page that she had put her cat down this morning after it was mauled overnight.

A SPATE of fatal attacks on cats in Perth’s northern suburbs has prompted an investigation by the City of Swan.

Search warrants were executed at two properties in Ballajura and Stratton on Friday following a series of dog attacks in the area.

City of Swan chief executive officer Mike Foley said three dogs had been seized from the properties pending further investigation into the attacks.

“Our cat was just attacked within the passed (sic) hour and a half. We heard the attack, we rushed outside to find two dogs having hold of him,” she wrote.

“We rushed him off to the vet, there where medical bills of above $9,000. The vet herself said the most human thing would be to let him go. He had a very large gash on his abdomen. This exposed his stomach, the vet said he’s (sic) stomach could possibly be punctured or damaged.”

A spokeswoman for the City of Swan said a further update on the attacks would be issued later on Tuesday.