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Too many deaths: Cat Crisis Coalition members Samantha Baillieu (Lort
Smith), Dr Hugh Wirth (RSPCA), Dr Graeme Smith (Lost Dogs' Home) and Dr
Carole Webb (Cat Protection Society).
FOUR cute and cuddly kittens, each one full of life.
But not even Victoria's four most powerful animal welfare chiefs will be
able to save three of the four cats from certain doom.
They are destined to be among the 615 felines destroyed in Melbourne's
animal shelters every week.
Almost 100 cats are put down every day, 32,000 each year and more than a
million over the past decade.
Three out of every four will not leave an animal shelter alive.
The staggering statistics show no sign of abating and animal lobbyists
are now demanding an end to the cat cull.
For the first time, a dozen animal shelters have combined to form the
Cat Crisis Coalition. The RSPCA, Lost Dogs' Home, Cat Protection Society
and Lort Smith Animal Hospital hope their combined might will make a
difference.
They want public help to lobby the Government for new laws that demand
all cats sold be desexed.
As well as curbing the incredible cat carnage, compulsory desexing would
spare shelter workers the stress of having to constantly put animals
down, Lost Dogs' Home head Dr Graeme Smith said.
RSPCA chief Dr Hugh Wirth said desexing would reduce the stray cat
population.
Animal shelters already offer discounts for people who want to sterilise
a cat.
The coalition has called for cat registration fees to be used to help
deal with the problem.
Petitions at animal welfare shelters will be sent to the State
Government.
Letters to Agriculture Minister Bob Cameron are available on the
internet.
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