South County Cats Programs
These programs have significantly decreased the number of surplus litters born to companion and community cats, thus preventing thousands of cats and kittens from entering our local shelters.
Our vision is a community where our shelters have space to provide temporary care for homeless pets and pets whose caretakers can no longer keep them due to life-changing circumstances, until they can be placed in permanent homes. Through spay and neuter we can prevent surplus animals from overcrowding our shelters.
Companion Cat Spay/Neuter Voucher Program
Through partnerships with local veterinary and spay/neuter clinics, South County Cats provides vouchers, and transportation when needed, for limited-income families, disabled and senior citizens to have their companion cat(s) spayed or neutered.
Trap-Neuter-Return Program
We provide assistance with Trap-Neuter-Return of community cats (stray, feral, abandoned) to prevent the next generation of feral cats. The offspring of community cats are socialized whenever possible, spayed or neutered, and adopted as family pets. Additionally, we educate the public about community cats and their place in our environment.
Foster Kitten Spay/Neuter Program
South County Cats accepts kittens whose mothers (and other cats in the household or yard) are spayed or neutered through our programs, as volunteer foster homes are available. These kittens receive treatment for internal and external parasites, are vaccinated, microchipped, and spayed or neutered before adoption.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
In 2012 South County Cats provided spay/neuter assistance for more than 1,400 companion and community cats in 6 counties and 42 cities. Of these cats, 55% were female, and nearly 500 were of breeding age, preventing the birth of potentially 4,000 or more kittens in 2013.
With donations from the 2012 GiveBIG campaign, South County Cats hosted four spay/neuter events with Pasado's Safe Haven Spay Station, resulting in 128 cats spayed or neutered.
The ongoing success and sustainability of our Spay/Neuter Programs are dependent on fundraising, grants and donations. Donations to South County Cats will be used to provide financial assistance for limited income south King County residents to have their cat(s) spayed or neutered through South County Cats' partnerships with Pasado’s Safe Haven Spay Station, spay/neuter clinics and private veterinarians.