After abruptly halting the program in February, Pittsburgh officials are looking to partially restore its spay and neuter initiative.
The city plans to restart free spay and neuter services only for feral cats, Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said. The portion of the program that allowed city residents to get vouchers to have their pets spayed and neutered for free is still on hold, Schmidt said.
City leaders last month paused the program, citing concerns that suburban pet owners were using fake Pittsburgh addresses to access free, taxpayer-funded spay and neuter services that were intended only for city residents.
Animal advocates told TribLive they worried halting the program could lead to an influx in the region’s homeless cat population.
Officials have not provided details about the scope of such misuse.
Legislation introduced to Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday would restart the program for feral cats, continuing Pittsburgh’s partnerships with Animal Friends and Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh.
The proposal would allocate $35,000 to each organization for spay and neuter services for strays in 2024.
The measure will appear before council again next week, when council members could take a preliminary vote on the proposal. They could take a final vote as soon as the following week.
Schmidt said city leaders are looking to eventually relaunch free spay and neuter services for pet owners, but they’re first exploring ways to ensure the program isn’t misused by people who aren’t city residents. City leaders may also introduce new guidelines or processes at that time to curb abuse of the system, Schmidt said.
Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh “has been proud to partner with the city on their spay and neuter program and HARP supports their efforts to ensure that assistance reaches those residents and animals that are in the most need,” Michele Frennier, the nonprofit’s marketing director, said in a statement.
Spay and neuter services, she said, are “a critical part” of controlling the unwanted pet population.
HARP offers affordable spay and neuter options for cats and dogs at its North Side and East Side sites, Frennier said. People who are struggling to afford spaying and neutering their pets can reach out for assistance, Frennier said.
Related:
• Pittsburgh halts free spay/neuter program after scam by suburban pet owners, officials say
• Animal welfare groups warn pausing city spay/neuter program will lead to more homeless cats
Julia Felton is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jfelton@triblive.com.