Agenda Item # 11.1 - Kathy Hodgdon | Received 10/16/2023CAUTION: This email originated from an External Source. Please use proper judgment and caution when opening
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From:Kathy Hodgdon
To:Public Comments; All Council Members
Subject:EXTERNAL - Please approve the Sheltering Agreement for FY24-26
Date:Monday, October 16, 2023 11:33:42 AM
Please approve the Sheltering Agreement with the County of Santa Clara for FY24-26.
Considering that the County Shelter’s jurisdiction includes all unincorporated areas of the
county and the cities of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and San Martin, the fact that Gilroy represents
21% of their total intakes confirms the magnitude of the problem here in Gilroy.
Prior to the 2018 agreement with the County, we had no services for dogs, other than
temporary holding kennels at the GPD.
Up until COVID, the shelter was providing residents with free spay/neuter, microchips, and
vaccines for owned cats 5 months and older, kittens 8 weeks to 4 months, German
Shepherds, huskies, pit bulls, chihuahuas and mixed breeds one year and older. This
service is invaluable since many Gilroy residents cannot afford to spay or neuter their pets.
We had nothing at all for lost or abandoned cats. We had no TNR (trap, neuter, return)
support locally. Injured or sick dogs and cats may have been authorized for minimal
treatment (or euthanasia) at a local veterinarian or at an emergency veterinary hospital.
I first started trapping community cats (feral, free-roaming, lost, or abandoned cats) in 2017,
I paid about $100 for a female spay at a clinic in San Jose that received a small subsidy from
the County. If required, euthanasia and disposal was $120. At a private veterinarian,
today’s cost for a female spay, including vaccines and microchip, is $300 to $400+.
We have very few volunteer trappers in Gilroy, Fewer still would be able to afford to
spay/neuter trapped cats out of their own pockets.
Please see the below chart, which represents the reproduction from one male and one
female cat, three kitten seasons per year, four kittens per litter, a lifespan of 5 years and a
50% mortality rate.
One male and one female were responsible for the birth of 9,180 descendants, and a
population of 6,282 at the end of six years.
Please vote YES on the Sheltering Agreement to prevent suffering, prevent more puppies
and kittens from being born, and prevent the resulting increase in loose or stray animals in
Gilroy.
Regards,
Kathy Hodgdon