SPCA Recommends No Tree Trimming and To Keep Cats Inside

It’s Spring, which means songbird eggs are hatching and baby mammals are being tended to by their parents. Sadly, this time of year also means potential tragedy for these tiny babies when people inadvertently damage their nests during tree trimming or when the babies are caught by house cats. The SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is currently caring for many babies who became orphans due to tree trimming, including 8 baby squirrels (see photos attached). We are also raising a baby who survived being caught by a cat. The SPCA strongly recommends not tree trimming this time of year. Bird and squirrel nests are designed to blend into their surroundings, making them hard to see before it’s too late. Pause for now, and begin trimming trees and shrubs again in the fall and winter months when parents are not nesting. The SPCA also recommends keeping cats indoors. Last year, 7% of wild patients at our hospital were caught by cats, but far more do not survive this encounter. Keeping cats indoors is also safer for the cats, who will avoid being hit by cars, chased by dogs or larger wildlife, and encounters with other cats or raccoons which can lead to expensive vet bills. For cats who love the outdoors, the SPCA recommends building a catio to keep your pet safely entertained. If you cannot keep your cat indoors for their safety, and the safety of our local wildlife, we recommend a collar with a bell or, preferably, a special collar like cat bibs and Birdbesafe collars that alert birds that a cat is coming. The SPCA Wildlife Center is available for emergency wildlife rescues 24 hours a day. To report injured, sick, or orphaned wildlife in Monterey County, please call 831-264-5427. Every year, the SPCA Wildlife Center rescues over 2,500 injured or orphaned wild animals. This work only is made possible thanks to your compassionate donations. To give to help, please visit www.SPCAmc.org/donate. The SPCA Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is the only full service wildlife rehabilitation center serving Monterey County. We operate under permits from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Your support is extremely important to us, as we are not a chapter or any other agency and we do not have a parent organization. Everything we do is made possible by you. SPCA Monterey County is your nonprofit, independent, donor-supported humane society that has been serving the animals and people of Monterey County since 1905. The SPCA is not a chapter of any other agency and does not have a parent organization. They shelter homeless, neglected, and abused pets and livestock, and provide humane education and countless other services to the community. They are the local agency you call to investigate animal cruelty, rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife, and aid domestic animals in distress. Online: www.SPCAmc.org Facebook: /SPCAmc Instagram: @SPCAmc Twitter: @SPCAmc