Cheap Fix Clinic Saves Lives with Low-Cost Spay/Neuter

Each year 2.4 million healthy and adoptable animals are euthanized in shelters. That means that about every 13 seconds, an animal who would have been a loving and loyal companion loses her life, often because the resources needed to care for her and find her a home simply aren’t available.

On the first Tuesday of each month, Alley Cat Rescue takes the issue of pet overpopulation head-on by holding our Cheap Fix Cat Clinic. By offering low-cost services for community and pet cats, we reduce the number of adoptable kittens and cats needlessly killed in overcrowded shelters, as well as the number of cats living outdoors.

Coming to the clinic is an easy process for people and cats alike. Clients begin by requesting an appointment online, then we follow up to confirm and provide clear instructions on how to prepare cats for spay/neuter surgery. On the morning of the clinic, clients drop off cats in traps or carriers, complete a couple simple forms, and are given an estimated time for pick-up.

Once all the cats are checked in and traps and carriers are clearly labeled, Alley Cat Rescue staff and volunteers safely transport them to our partner clinic. Later in the day when surgery is finished and the cats have recovered enough to travel, we transport them back to our office for pick-up that evening, or hold them overnight when necessary. Clients also receive required vaccination documents and instructions for post-surgery care.

For community cat colony caretakers, finding affordable spay/neuter and vaccination services is crucial. Costs add up quickly when a caretaker finds a number of cats in a colony, sometimes ten or more at once, who are in need of veterinary services. Cost becomes even more important when you consider that caretakers are usually spending their own limited personal funds on a project that benefits the whole community. For this reason, we offer community cats spay/neuter surgery, vaccination, and ear-tipping for only $20, a fraction of what the same services would cost at a private veterinary practice. We also have humane traps to loan, which helps caretakers keep equipment and supply costs down.

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Pet cats are also welcome at the Cheap Fix Cat Clinic! A pet cat may not be spayed/neutered because a person plans to keep him or her indoors and doesn’t think it necessary. Someone may have found a kitten and brought her in from outside, and is solely focused on providing food and purchasing other essential items. Some also believe that kittens are too young to be sterilized or that it is healthier for a female cat to have a litter before being spayed. The truth is that kittens can be safely spayed or neutered once they reach two pounds in weight (around 8 weeks of age), and there is no health benefit to allowing female cats to have a litter before being spayed. We wholeheartedly encourage pet adoption, and to support those who’ve decided to add a furry member to their family, we offer spay/neuter surgery and vaccination for just $50.

ACR Since launching the Cheap Fix Cat Clinic only two months ago, Alley Cat Rescue has provided these important services for nearly 50 cats in our community, and we are eager to help more! Having your cat spayed eliminates many medical and behavioral problems. In fact neutering a cat, male or female, adds years to their lives. It is one of the best things one can do not only to spare cats from death in an animal shelter, and bring down the euthanasia numbers, but it will increase the quality of your cat’s life and enable the cat to live longer. Over the last 20 years ACR has been spaying and neutering cats in the Washington DC Metro area. Over the years around 35,000 cats have been sterilized by ACR. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today so that we can continue to offer these life-saving services and reach more cats in need.