Saskatoon SPCA says warm weather means more stray cats

Unseasonably warm weather this winter is causing some problems for the Saskatoon SPCA.

This winter, the group has seen a large increase in the number of cats being brought into the shelter.

"When they're outdoors and it's warm, they have a lot more opportunity to breed," said executive director Patricia Cameron. "We're getting more batches of kittens. We're getting more feral cats living wild in city parks."

While the SPCA normally starts receiving litters of kittens in April or May, the warm weather means they're already receiving litters of kittens now.

And the problem isn't isolated to this year. In 2016, the shelter saw a 22 per cent increase in the number of cats.

"The trajectory for the past 10 years has been downward for many, many shelters," she said. "Now we're seeing an up-tick, so we're moving back into the bad old days."

While many of the kittens brought into the shelter are feral, many are also the result of accidental pregnancies. Cameron is asking all pet owners to spay and neuter their pets, and to get their pets licensed.

The Saskatoon SPCA estimates it takes in around 4,000 animals every year.