Low Cost Spay Neuter as An Option and Spay Days for cats

Hi Everyone

Low cost spay neuter is an option for people on fixed or limited income
Just some information about low cost spay and neuter as an option for people needing to get their animals fixed. I know people that spend hundreds of dollars for private vet spay/neuter. If people can afford this and prefer to go this route, that is their choice. But, I get so many people saying they cannot "afford" to get their animals fixed. A lot of people don't know how available "low cost" spay/neuter is (in many U.S. communities) so I thought I would share some information (for those that are interested).

Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics Cost is an issue for some people in getting their animals fixed, but it is pretty standard in America (with rescue groups and shelters) or many of them, that animals are not adopted out until they are fixed. So, if you adopt from a shelter or rescue group, you may not have to worry about it. But, if (for instance) you find a kitten and do not get it through the shelter, and it needs to be fixed, have community cats in your neighborhood that are having litters one after another, or feral cat colonies, I urge people to do research as it really should not cost that much to spay/neuter an animal. Low cost spay/neuter clinics are popping up everywhere. They survive on grants, donations, and are generally non-profit unlike private for profit vet clinics.

THE FOLLOWING IS FOR CATS... (I only rescue cats, so people who rescue dogs can give information which is dog specific; the below info is for feral cats, community cats, and owned cats, who need to be spayed/neutered).

Why do communities do these high volume spay/neuters? Some people may find such high volume s/n to be odd. But, in the U.S. still too many communities are slaughtering 20,000 or more animals each year which is tragic. There are around 4,000,000 animals killed in shelters in the U.S. every year. Some shelters have a 90%+ kill rate for animals they intake. But, studies show that aggressive Spay/neuter programs of owned, community or feral cats can have a significant impact on decreasing those numbers (along with other "No Kill" measures such as fostering, adoptions, longer redemption times for lost animals, etc) (e.g., Julie Levy, University of Florida). So many of us are just heartbroken at beautiful animals being killed due to the excuse of overpopulation, and many years ago people started doing something about it. You can google "feral cats" "TNR" or "Trap Neuter Return" and a sea of information will pop up if you are interested in learning more.

Or, you could google Nathan Winograd of "No Kill Nation" for more information on how the "No Kill" philosophy is spreading across the U.S. in dedicated efforts to save more animals in shelters. Or here is his website: http://www.thenokillnation.org/

High volume low/cost spay neuter clinics in practice Obviously, I cannot speak for all clinics everywhere. I can only relate my personal experiences here. But, to give you an idea at how aggressive measures are to s/n community cats (in an effort to lower euthanasia rates), here is an example: One clinic that I have done work with has a yearly weekend marathon where you can get an animal neutered for $5 (or up) (that's a big exhausting 1 time a year event based upon grants, etc). People drive up (in a drive through set up), drop off their cats in the morning, and then drive back through another drive through set up to retrieve the animals at the end of the day.

Best Friends video on how mass TNR works Here is a video to show you how mass TNR works. http://youtu.be/Lhq5v_K5rgE

I also work on a Trap Neuter Return team for the local humane society, and there are a team of weekend "trappers" that go to different locations in the community where feral cat colonies are, and do mass trappings. The animals are delivered in cages to the shelter (each Sunday night) and the pick up is on Monday afternoon (another type of spay day). After recovery, the feral/community cats are released back into their colonies (where they have feeders or not). The clinics or humane societies will normally have feral cat traps (you can borrow or rent) for you to trap the neighborhood cats humanely to be fixed and returned. TNR is fun for some people. It's like fishing. You set the trap, come back later, and there is a cat. Or, if you do drop trapping, you wait for the cat to appear, and once under the trap, you tug the string, and the cat is trapped (then you move it to a feral trap for TNR). A lot of people like the challenge and reward of TNR (i.e., getting the cats, then helping them, etc)

In my community they have tax supported coupons for people on welfare, social security, unemployment, low income. And, when some of the shelters get large grants from Petsmart, or Maddie's Fund or other organizations, they sometimes run things like "neighborhood" programs where people in certain zip codes or neighborhoods can get their cats done (even for free depending upon the grant, i.e., a grant to target specific areas of town where the highest shelterintake numbers are, and so the clinic will fix the animals in the area code for free until the money is used up or the grant expires, etc).

How can these low/cost spay/neuter clinics do such high volume in a day, etc? While I am not a vet, one shelter director told me it takes around 3 minutes (for their specific vet and I am NOT speaking for all vets) to do a neuter of a male cat. Longer for a spay because they have to make an incision and do invasive surgery, etc. But, that's the surgery itself. At the clinic I am talking about, when the animals are delivered, they are anesthetized at one station, given antibiotics at another station, shaved at another station, then they go in for surgery, then they go to another station where they are deflead, their ears tipped (the world universal symbol for a neutered feral cat where the left ear is snipped to remove 1/4 of an inch; this let's people know that the animal is fixed and does not need to be trapped, anesthetized and fixed, etc), then they go for fluids, or other care as needed, then on to recovery (monitored by volunteers or staff), and then once they wake up to be delivered to the people that dropped them off.

How can low cost s/n charge so little and does that affect quality?There is going to be a cost for surgery (meds, employee wages, other supplies). It is basically because of charitable grants, charity event revenue, nonprofit structure (less profit per surgery earned), donations, etc., tax stipends, that low cost spay/neuter clinics can offer s/n to people at a cost anywhere ranging from "free" to $10, $15, $25, $35, $45 (cost varies, etc). Just look around for the clinic that is best for you.

Are low cost spay/neuter clinics safe? Surgery is surgery and with it there are obviously risks, and there are no guarantees for the safety of any procedure. But, I talk to people all the time who are reluctant to go to low cost spay/neuter clinics because they think a more expensive vet would do a better job and low cost spay/neuter clinics are not safe. All I can say is this: I have fixed hundreds of animals in rescue, all through low cost spay/neuter clinics, and have no complaints. And, these vets that work for low cost spay/neuter clinics do many surgeries in a day every day of the week, etc whereas more expensive vets do not do that. If you do something over and over, you tend to get good at it. Just my opinion. Who you take your cat to for s/n is your choice. But, my point is that cost should not be a deterrent with so many grants, discounts, tax assisted vouchers, and other low cost programs out there. With a little research you can find help.

My point is this: with the options out there for low cost spay/neuter, grants, and just because you are unemployed or are on a very limited income, does not mean you cannot get your cats fixed.

Good luck. Anyone else do this, and want to share their experiences? Love to hear it.

Lena