19 (10)
Susana Barrios
From:OC Community Cats <anaheimfixproject@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, June 27, 2023
To:Public Comment
Cc:Natalie Rubalcava; Ashleigh Aitken; Jose Diaz; Carlos A. Leon; Norma C. Kurtz; Stephen
Faessel; Natalie Meeks; Brittney Malenofski
Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] 6/27/23 PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEM 19
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open
attachments unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the message.
My name is Meredith Kirby. I am a volunteer and board member with the non-profit OC Community Cats. We
are based in Anaheim and dedicated to the welfare of community (free-roaming) cats in North Orange County.
My comment today is specifically addressing Agenda item 19 and the significant increase in the cost of services
proposed by OC Animal Care, the shelter Anaheim contracts with.
The NOI specifies a nearly 23% increase. However, OC Animal Care is not providing services it promised
when the shelter was built.
Beginning in early 2020, OC Animal Care made deliberate reductions in services and implemented policy
changes that have negative impacts on the animals & residents of Anaheim, and the other cities which contract
them.
OC Animal Care stopped the very successful Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) & Return to Field (RTF) programs,
resulting in the population explosion of community cats.
OC Animal Care no longer accepts healthy stray cats or kittens 8 weeks or older. They tell people to put them
back outside where they were found. Yet they say RTF & TNR are "animal abandonment."
OC Animal Care does not accept owner surrenders without collecting a $300 fee, IF they accept them at all.
Most people can't afford that, so cats are being dumped on the street to fend for themselves. If they are lucky,
they find their way to a community cat colony. We have this happening at the colonies we manage. In May, 2
adults & 12 kittens of various ages were dumped at one of our colonies where coyotes are known to travel.
Recently, OC Animal Care was called to assist in a hoarding case in Anaheim at 1934 W. Tedmar, The family
flew in from out of state and were trying to get help from OCAC for the cats. OCAC flatly said NO, they could
not help. We jumped in, with 2 other rescues & saved the cats. We are volunteers for non-profits. We should not
be doing the work that our county shelter is paid to do.
OC Animal Care is still accepting some sick/injured stray cats, but they give minimal care and put these cats on
"rescue track." That means the cats are available for non-profit, volunteer run, donation funded groups to
rescue. Otherwise, they are euthanized.
OC Animal Care now has an appointment only policy, so a potential adopter must make an appointment to see a
single animal (cat, dog, bunny, etc) at a time. People can't go to the shelter and walk through the kennels to see
the animals and make a connection.
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These policy changes have resulted in a population explosion of community cats, abandonment of cats,
increases in dead animals, an uptick in Coyote activity, fewer adoptions, more killing of animals.
The burden placed on the shoulders of non-profits, local veterinarians and independent rescuers is devastating.
Several vets, such as Pro Pet Fix have closed. Some rescues have had to shut down. Independent rescuers are
going broke. They should not have to do the shelter's job without compensation.
This county funded, multimillion dollar, state of the art shelter should be providing all the services it promised
to the animals and residents of Anaheim and Orange County, not less.
So why are they asking for nearly 23% more? What are the animals and citizens of Anaheim getting for this
increase? I suggest requiring a detailed explanation from OC Animal Care.
Finally, you may not be aware that the OC Grand Jury has recently investigated OC Animal Care and issued a
report with their findings and directives. I've heard from an insider that OC Animal Care is not taking it
seriously.
We should.
Link attached. Gimmee Shelter
Thank you for your time & consideration.
Meredith Kirby
OC Community Cats
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