REGINA — Regina's stray cat population continues to grow, according to Regina Cat Rescue (RCR).
Tanya Mihalicz, pet rescue lead with RCR, said the organization has seen the population increase in 2026 compared with previous years.
“It's going up most definitely and will continue to increase in the coming years,” Mihalicz said.
She said trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs are the most effective way to control the population, but RCR is struggling to keep up with demand.
“We do as many TNRs as we can, but in truth, that's the only way to control the population,” she said.
RCR takes in approximately 350 to 400 cats each year, including kittens and pregnant cats that give birth while in the organization's care.
The organization also carries out roughly 60 TNR procedures annually, primarily involving feral or colony cats that are not suitable for adoption.
However, high costs are creating barriers to additional procedures.
A neuter costs the organization roughly $300, while a spay costs about $500.
“That's a lot of extra money every year to do those,” she said.
She added that veterinary capacity is another challenge, with limited appointments available for TNR procedures.
“Our vets are at capacity. The priority is obviously to get the ones fixed that can be adopted.”
RCR had its colonies under control before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the organization lost ground as veterinary space became harder to access.
“We didn't have the vet spaces to get them in,” Mihalicz said.
Now, the challenge of stabilizing the population has become more difficult, as the Regina Humane Society (RHS) is currently not accepting new applications for its Subsidized Spay/Neuter Program because of capacity constraints.
With this in mind, Mihalicz is calling on the city to allocate money to the program.
“If the city could give us a budget that we could do so many every year, that would be huge,” she said.
SaskToday reached out to the City of Regina for comment. In response, the city said responsibility for controlling the cat population rests with the RHS.
The RHS did not respond to SaskToday's request for comment by the deadline.
If the situation does not improve soon, Mihalicz estimates more outdoor cats will suffer.
“At best, 50 per cent of cats that are born outside will survive.”
She added, “Pregnant cats require a lot more nourishment when they've got babies. Often, we bring them in, and they're skin and bones because all their nourishment is going to their babies; they're not getting enough for themselves.”
To help with the situation, residents are encouraged to help stray cats by providing food and temporarily keeping them safe while rescue organizations determine how they can assist.
During hot weather, Mihalicz recommends putting food out in the evening, when cats are more likely to be active.
However, she stressed that RCR does not have unlimited space or resources to take in every cat reported by residents.
“We always do what we can, but it's limited in what we can do,” she said.
“So we need the communities to pitch in and help wherever they can.”
