Seaside to enact a spay-and-neuter ordinance to curb wanton breeding of cats and dogs.

So-called “backyard breeding,” the breeding of cats or dogs with no regulation, is a problem the City of Seaside has faced for years. At least in part, that’s because the city hasn’t required a permit for breeders. On Nov. 7, the City Council passed an ordinance (which still requires another vote before becoming official) that would require breeders to have a permit.

Currently, Police Chief Nick Borges says his department spends about $80,000 per year to offload unwanted animals to SPCA Monterey County, and expects that number will rise as the SPCA has increased its fee per animal from about $185 last year to $245 this year.

The problem, Borges says, is that some breeders out to make a buck will abandon animals they can’t sell, and then the city foots the bill. Particularly in the case of dogs, Borges adds, inbreeding can cause animals to have serious health problems that can eventually require surgeries that cost thousands of dollars, which people aren’t willing to, or simply cannot, pay.

Seaside Animal Control Officer Alex Kjellgren told the council Nov. 7 that the ordinance would allow him to have “another tool in my tool belt,” while also adding that it’s not a “silver bullet.”

The new ordinance will require pet owners without a breeding permit or with a vet-approved medical exemption to get cats spayed or neutered at 5 months old, and dogs at 6 months old.

Borges sees it as a way to help improve a longstanding problem for the city, which has thus far let it go unregulated. That is not just from a fiscal perspective, but also for the well-being of the animals in question, which are often found in a state of neglect.