Pet overpopulation was solved once but rising costs are undoing that progress

Romany Runnalls and Chantelle Archambault - Sep 6, 2026 / 11:00 am | Story: 630336 Photo: B.C. SPCA A perfect storm of rising costs of living, low funding for preventive care programs, and growing demand for veterinary services has put spay and neuter out of reach for many pet guardians across B.C.. For much of the 20th century, animal shelters across North America faced a crisis with no easy answer. Unwanted litters arrived faster than homes could be found, and the animals kept coming. For the people who worked at these organizations, many of whom had chosen the work precisely because they loved animals. A significant part of the job was ending the lives of healthy dogs and cats simply because there was nowhere else for them to go. In the 1970s, euthanasia rates were climbing to catastrophic levels. Animal organizations, advocates, and policymakers united to find a better way. The path they found to address the root cause of pet overpopulation transformed the way we care for our pets. Spay and neuter programs, paired with public education, became widespread in the 1970s and 1980s. As euthanasia rates fell, shelters could finally breathe, and animals themselves were healthier. Spayed and neutered pets face lower risks of certain cancers, no risk of life-threatening uterine infections like pyometra which impacts one in four unaltered female dogs by the age of 10 and is fatal without treatment and none of the dangers that come with pregnancy and birth. With fewer animals overwhelming the system, organizations could turn their attention to something other than crisis management. Innovative programs bloomed in the decades that followed to truly meet the needs of pets and the people who loved them. Veterinary assistance programs helped families keep beloved pets through illness or injury. Foster networks gave vulnerable animals the individual care they needed. Behaviour support helped struggling guardians and frustrated animals find peace and connection. Decades of progress built a system that was moving in the right direction. That progress is now at risk. A perfect storm of rising costs of living, low funding for preventive care programs, and growing demand for veterinary services has put spay and neuter out of reach for many pet guardians across British Columbia. Families who want to do the right thing for their animals often can't access the resources they need to do so. The consequences are predictable, because we have seen them before. Rescue organizations throughout the province are struggling to meet record levels of demand for spay, neuter, and medical assistance, while the number of animals needing care continues to climb. Litters of kittens and puppies are filing in as organizations are already at or over capacity. Animals are being rushed into urgent treatment for pyometra because their guardians intended to have the procedure done but could not access timely or affordable preventative care. Pets are becoming pregnant before families can act, sometimes with serious complications for both mother and offspring. Community cats, animals who live outdoors and are cared for by compassionate residents, are also affected. When trap-neuter-return programs cannot keep up with demand, feral populations grow. Countless stray and feral cats continue to reproduce in communities across British Columbia, where many face heartbreaking outcomes including starvation, disease, exposure to extreme weather, predation, and vehicle strikes. As organizations stretch to respond, their ability to help other animals in need becomes increasingly limited. None of this is the fault of pet guardians who are doing their best in difficult circumstances. The cost of living has risen sharply, while income support has not kept pace. When a person living on a low income is choosing whether to spend their last $30 on pet food instead of groceries, even reduced-cost preventative veterinary care feels like an impossible goal. We have been here before, and we found our way through it not by blaming the people struggling to care for their animals, but by building systems that made it easier to access that care. As the need continues to grow, community support has never been more important. Every donation to help provide a spay or neuter surgery extends far beyond one animal. An female cat ht is not spayed and her offspring can produce hundreds of kittens in just a few years under ideal conditions, fuelling a cycle that rescue organizations cannot keep up with. Preventing just one unplanned litter can save generations of animals from hunger, illness, and injuries on unforgiving streets. At the same time, British Columbia needs renewed investment in accessible, affordable spay and neuter services. The progress of the past several decades is not lost, but it is slipping. And the tiny new lives being born into this crisis cannot wait for the system to catch up. Romany Runnalls is the operations director for the Okanagan Human Society and Chantelle Archambault is the communications director for the Vancouver Humane Society. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.