download/print - Neighborhood Cats

4. Schedule the spay/neuterAfter you’ve established a feeding pattern, have an accurate count of the cats andarranged for an adequate holding space, it’s time to schedule an appointment for thespay/neuter surgeries. There may be a variety of resources available in your area and youmay need to do some research to locate them. Once you’ve located a spay/neuterprovider, be sure to check that they treat feral cats.The past few years have seen the rapid growth of High Quality High Volume(HQHV) spay/neuter clinics which specialize in altering cats and dogs. Many clinicshave been trained by an organization in Asheville, NC, the Humane Alliance(www.humanealliance.org), which has pioneered high volume spay/neuter and offersextensive training and support to groups seeking to open their own HQHV clinics.Because the focus of these clinics is almost exclusively spay/neuter, they are able toprovide high quality care at low prices.Low cost spay/neuter services in your community may also be offered by a shelter,another animal welfare organization or an animal care and control agency. In some areas,mobile clinics, which you bring cats to or which brings the clinic to the cats, areavailable. A mobile clinic may operate out of a specially outfitted van or trailer withsurgeries performed inside. Or it may be a MASH-style surgical unit that can be set upfrom scratch at almost any location.Another popular approach for delivering affordable surgeries is a Mass Spay Day – alarge-scale clinic capable of handling 100 or more animals a day. Typically these clinicsare held once a month at the same location for one or two days at a time.Private veterinary clinics may be a resource, especially if they are willing to discounttheir normal fees when treating free-roaming cats. There may be an animal welfareorganization or animal care and control agency in your area which sells low costspay/neuter certificates that can be redeemed at local clinics. SpayUSA(www.spayusa.org or call 1-800-248-7729) has a national certificate program offeringdiscount spay/neuter rates at participating veterinarians and clinics. For a list ofproviders in your county, click the “Find a Clinic” button on the home page and selectyour state in the drop-down menu. Then select your county from a drop-down menu thatwill appear. A similar certificate program is also offered by Friends of Animals(www.friendsofanimals.org).A word of caution if you do make use of a local or national spay/neuter certificateprogram. The vast majority of veterinarians who participate in these programsunderstand the need for affordable spay/neuter and offer valuable services at a truediscount. However, there are occasionally abuses, such as charging for items which aperson would normally assume are included in the cost of the certificate, like anesthesia.Or requiring payment for services in addition to those covered by the certificate, such astesting or extra vaccinations. The best way to protect yourself against an unexpectedlylarge bill is by obtaining a complete estimate of all costs before the spay/neuter surgery.Try to get this estimate, in writing, when you make your appointments.One way to start looking for a low cost provider is by using the Low CostSpay/Neuter Locator, a joint project of PetSmart Charities and the ASPCA. It can befound on the websites of both organizations (www.aspca.org/spay;54