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JILL BODACH
number is between three to four million, but it could be even further reduced if pet owners ensured that their animals did not produce offspring, Blount says. Blount has worked for Iowa animal organizations and shelters for most of her life, and these positions have given her the rare opportunity to understand the severity of the dog and cat overpopulation problem, while also inspiring her to take action to change the situation. “There is an endless flow of animals coming in and out of shelters, and while shelters do good work to care for the animals and find them homes, I realized that the work I was doing there, while rewarding, wasn’t solving the problem as a whole,” Blount said. In order to better address the overpopulation problem, Blount founded the Iowa Humane Alliance Regional Spay Neuter Clinic that just opened on January 14th. It is the first high volume, affordable and quality spay and neuter clinic in the state of Iowa. The clinic is an offshoot of the Iowa Humane Alliance, which was founded in 2008 by three committed animal welfare advocates who identified the pressing need for effective spay and neuter programs. The mission of the IHA Regional Spay Neuter Clinic is to provide access to affordable spay and neuter options in order to prevent the litters of unwanted kittens and puppies that
FRIENDS IN NEED January 14 marked the opening of the Iowa Humane Alliance in Cedar Rapids.
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s I sit down to talk to Mary Blount, executive director of the Iowa Humane Alliance, a gray cat slinks its way across her lap and nuzzles against her shoulder. Blount’s reaction to the animal is automatic as she slides her hand down its back and uncrosses her legs so it can more easily traverse her lap. Watching the interaction between the two, I can’t help but think that much of Blount’s life’s work and passions can be summed up by the existence of this cat. As Blount continues to stroke the cat, which is oblivious to the symbolic nature of its presence, she explains that on any given day there are approximately 20,000 to 30,000 stray cats just like it living on the streets of Cedar Rapids. This number has always been high, Blount
12 Jan. 23-Feb. 6 2013 | Little Village
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says, but it really ballooned after the flood of 2008. There are stray dogs as well, but they are far outnumbered by the feral cat population, due to the fact that cats reproduce more quickly (females can start having kittens when they are as young as four or five months old), roam more freely than dogs, are better able to survive on their own and attract less attention from people because of their ability to hide. In the 1970s, before spaying and neutering was a consideration, 17 million cats were euthanized each year in the United States in order to deal with overpopulation. Now that
Photos by Dawn Frary