Snip, Snip, Snip!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were so successful we could put ourselves out of business?  Strange as it sounds, that is our ultimate goal; to reduce the number of homeless and unwanted cats to the point where, well, there aren’t any unwanted cats!  One way to accomplish this goal is through adoptions; and we had 179 of them last year.  Another way, which offers a long-term solution to the problem, is through our spay/neuter program, known as Operation Catsnip.

Fortunately for HSAPL, Dr. Ries, of Savanna Animal Hospital, shares our interest in reducing feline overpopulation through sterilization. For the past two and a half years, she has performed discounted spay and neuter services for us every Wednesday at her clinic in Jensen Beach.  The process begins each Monday, when volunteers Sande and Peggy, begin assembling the surgery roster for that week.  Up to 20 cats can be sterilized on a clinic day, but the balance of neutering the males (a relatively quick and non-invasive process) must be balanced with the number of females (a more invasive and complicated procedure).  Cats from St. Lucie, Martin, and sometimes even Palm Beach Counties, are added to the list.  Many of the cats come in through the voucher program.  Owners needing low-cost spay and neuter services purchase a voucher for $35 which entitles them to the basic surgery and, for cats over four months in age, a rabies vaccination.    Other cats, known as free-roaming, are brought in by their caretakers to be examined, vaccinated and sterilized.

Wednesday morning, bright and early, technician Lisa joins volunteers Barbara and Sande (taking photo) at Savanna Animal Hospital. Cars pull into the parking lot, dropping off an assortment of carriers and humane traps filled with cats.  The waiting room resounds with the melody of meowing kitties as each cat is assigned a number and a surgery slot. One by one the cats are taken into surgery and by 1:00 p.m. all the surgeries have been completed.  The cats, groggy but awake, head home to recuperate completely.

When asked why she enjoys this aspect of volunteer work, Barbara expressed satisfaction in knowing that she is helping to tackle the overpopulation problem by being part of the process in which cats are sterilized, “never to reproduce again!”  Sande shared that sentiment and added that she enjoys helping people through the voucher program who “care about the problem but lack the resources and/or expertise to anything about it.”  She told of a couple who own a farm and care for 20 free-roaming adult cats and 13 kittens on their property.  One by one, they managed to trap all of the cats and bring them to the clinic to be sterilized. Numerous trips were involved over a period of several months; but the couple can now rest assured that their colony of cats won’t continue to reproduce. 

Through cooperative efforts and a great deal of patience, HSAPL is slowly making progress in the battle to reduce feline overpopulation.  Over the past two years 2,000 sterilization surgeries have been performed through Operation Catsnip.  When one considers that each mother cat produces an average of 4 kittens, the number of births grows exponentially and the sterilization of 2,000 represents the prevention of hundreds of thousands of unwanted feline births. There is still much to be done; but with the help of our volunteers and donors, we are chipping away at the problem, one snip at a time.

To donate to Operation Catsnip or find out more about the program, please call Sande at 772-463-9207.