Five Minutes With . . . Dr. Sarah Kirk, Vet for Cleveland Animal Protective League

Monday, December 24, 2007
Donna J. Miller, Plain Dealer Reporter

Dr. Sarah Kirk sees more than 400 patients a day.

She's a veterinarian at the Cleveland Animal Protective League, the largest, busiest pet shelter in Northeast Ohio.

The job surrounds the self-described "cat person" with felines meowing and purring their approval as she peers into cage after cage after cage, looking for signs of illness. Listening to hearts and lungs. Examining wounds. Judging temperaments.

The job also has her awash in tragic arithmetic.

How many animals pass through your hands each year?
About 11,000 dogs, cats, rabbits and rodents. An occasional snake.

It's estimated that 16,000 dogs and cats are euthanized every day in the United States. The APL is trying to reduce pet overpopulation. How?
We are neutering up to 40 dogs and cats a day, before they are adopted. But most days, we take in more animals than are adopted, so it's a constant struggle. We need more veterinarians to help out, even if it's only for a half-day once a month. We've had as many as 475 animals in the shelter at once; nearly all needed the surgery. We have three surgery tables that could be in use nearly constantly.

Cleveland's dog wardens, funded by dog license fees, pick up stray dogs, but not cats? What can be done to reduce the number of stray cats?
It's estimated there are 225,000 free-roaming cats in Cuyahoga County. The numbers haunt me. Next year, we will be seeking volunteers who are able to trap cats, bring them in to be neutered, and then release and monitor them. Returning them to the neighborhoods helps keep out cats who haven't been neutered.

This year, 31 percent of the homeless animals arriving at the shelter were euthanized. Why?
Feral cats, that is, those too wild to be handled, are euthanized, as well as dogs and cats with illnesses or injuries and pit bulls and other aggressive dogs. We haven't euthanized a friendly, healthy animal for more than three years and we're working toward reducing euthanasia by treating more illnesses.

It's December, yet you have very young kittens coming to the shelter. Northeast Ohio cats are giving birth in the winter?
Yes, the cold-weather slowdown shelters used to look forward to hasn't been happening. We've had mild winters that allow litters to survive.

How is the APL funded?
We don't get government funding. We're a nonprofit organization that relies on grants, donations and volunteers.

www.ClevelandAPL.org, 216-771-4616, 1729 Willey Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:  djmiller@plaind.com, 216-999-4852

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