March 24, 2021
The Hornell Area Humane Society and the Finger Lakes SPCA are taking a proactive approach in Steuben County to help improve the health and humanely control the population of feral, free-roaming and stray cats!
As kitten season quickly approaches, the Hornell Area Humane Society (HAHS) and the Finger Lakes SPCA (FLSPCA) are pleased to announce a county-wide collaboration to provide large scale spay/neuter feral cat clinics at Finger Lakes SPCA, 72 Cameron Street in Bath, NY in April 2021.
HAHS and FLSPCA both have active TNVR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate & Return) programs which spay/neuter approximately 275-300 community cats annually. Thanks to an agreement HAHS has with Steuben County government, these services are being further subsidized with the goal of more affordable and expanded county-wide spay/neuter services. In 2020, the first Spay/Neuter Blitz was held. Thanks to this initiative and the combined efforts of our veterinary and LVT community, volunteers, HAHS and partner agencies (FLSPCA, Barn Cat Outreach & Paradise Garden Animal Haven), community supporters and participants, this event was successful in sterilizing and vaccinating nearly 70 feral cats.
The 2021 objective is to significantly increase those numbers by holding multiple clinics. This collaborative effort will help to expand TNVR programming and provide Steuben County residents an affordable option to reduce the amount of unwanted litters in the feral/free-roaming cat population. The cost of a feral cat spay/neuter at the April Steuben County Spay/Neuter Blitz clinics will be dropped from $25 to a $10 refundable deposit . The following veterinarians, Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Wilson, Dr. Ryan and Dr. Doucette, are participating in the April clinics. We are very appreciative of their support to help these feral cats.
An average cat has 1-8 kittens per litter and 2-3 litters per year. During her reproductive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens. A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years. Mary Nisbet, HAHS Executive Director states, “It is critical to have these cats spayed or neutered to help curb the free-roaming cat population in the community and help keep the existing population stay healthy.” Vicki Mosgrove, FLSPCA Executive Director concurs and expressed, “low cost and accessible TNVR programs are the most effective and humane way to manage feral cat populations.”
Every year May/June rolls around and shelters are filled to the brim and swamped with calls and requests to take in more kittens. This continues into the fall. Some of these kittens are abandoned, sick, injured or motherless. Many are the offspring of feral cats. This initiative will help stem the tide of feline overpopulation in our area.
For more information and details on the event, please contact hahstnvr@gmail.com. These clinics are for feral (wild, outdoor) cats only. Please email the address for additional low-cost options for your pet cat. Services will be done by appointment only via email. No walk ins can be accommodated. Thank you for your continued support of our community animals! Together we can truly make a difference in these animals lives!
