PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Julia Rosman, Representative of Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition
4:47:42
·
148 sec
Julia Rosman, representing Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition, testified about the urgent need for accessible, low-cost spay/neuter services in New York City to address the homeless cat population. She highlighted the high costs of these procedures at regular veterinary clinics and the lack of affordable options for pet owners and rescuers.
- The average cost for spay/neuter procedures in NYC veterinary hospitals was $480-$540 in 2020, with prices rising as high as $1600 recently.
- Rosman emphasized that 100,000-150,000 low-cost spay/neuter surgeries are needed annually to effectively address the homeless cat crisis.
- She called for collaboration among individuals, municipal, and private entities to make these services more widely available.
Julia Rosman
4:47:42
My name is Julia Rosman, and I will present Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition, which operates the Brooklyn Cafe and Brooklyn Bridge Animal BBA of the Sea Rescue Clinic, which is a high volume, low cost Spay Nuder clinic.
4:47:59
Ensuring widespread access to low cost, high quality space newter services would address the 2 biggest drivers of the New York City homeless cat population.
4:48:09
First, it would prevent the births suffering in early death of hundreds of thousands of kittens.
4:48:15
2nd, it would decrease the number of pets abandoned due to nuisance behavior shown by unaltered cats such as fighting and spraying.
4:48:24
That cure today is unaffordable for most pet parents and rescuers.
4:48:29
In 2020, we called every veterinary hospital in the city to find out how much they would charge for Spay Neuter.
4:48:35
The average cost of a Neuter was $480, and $540 for a stay.
4:48:43
Few offer discounts for rescuers or individuals on public assistance.
4:48:48
Prices have only gone up since then.
4:48:50
We were recently quoted as much as $1600 for a stay, over ten times what BBAWC Rescue Clinic charges for the same procedure.
4:49:01
Cost is not the only barrier.
4:49:03
In 2020, existing high volume, low cost, stay new to providers, stop providing surgeries entirely and even now perform only a fraction of the surgery volume that is needed.
4:49:16
Pet parents and their beloved cats are the other group that suffer the consequences of this scarcity.
4:49:23
It's easy to demonize the people who abandon their cats on the street, but we have met pet owners terrified of losing housing due to complaints or who cannot handle their intact cats nuisance behaviors.
4:49:36
Too often they release their cats outside once they reach puberty, which exacerbates the already exponentially growing outdoor cat population, to effectively address the homeless cap crisis New York City needs an estimated 100 to 150,000 low costs, spay neutrosurgeries to be made readily available to rescuers and pet owners each year.
4:50:01
No singular group can achieve that alone.
4:50:04
It can only happen with the productive collaboration among individuals, municipal, and private entities.
4:50:11
Thank you.
Linda Mann
4:50:11
Thank
