by TerrieLynn Bach
Every year, Bastrop C.A.T.S. increases our number of resources for TNR clinics. We now have several partners in TNR in Bastrop County. One of those resources is Save an Angel, a fellow non-profit, who also runs a low cost spay/neuter clinic for pet cats and dogs.
Since April of 2020, Save an Angel has been offering Bastrop C.A.T.S. TNR appointments at their cost of $35. People often think spay/neuter of un-owned, community cats “should be” a free service but, unfortunately, we have to pay for the veterinarian, vet techs, and cost of drugs to provide this service. Compared with the retail cost of taking a cat to your personal veterinarian, $35 is practically free!
Some people like to argue the point of, “Well, they aren’t ‘my’ cats, so why should I pay to get them spayed or neutered?”
The answer to that question is “because you want to humanely decrease the homeless cat population in YOUR community!” Because, ultimately, with fewer animals coming into our county shelter, paid for with your tax money, it helps keep a cap on the increasing expenses of not doing anything about the problem of pet overpopulation in our community. Plus, no one likes finding homeless kittens dead or injured on the roads or eaten by predators.
Recently the cost of TNR –the drugs for anesthesia, pain meds, and rabies vaccines– has gone up, too, just like everything else. Plus there is a shortage of veterinarians and techs nationwide. So, now the cost through Save an Angel is $45. Still a bargain!
Bastrop C.A.T.S. pays for the surgery and rabies vaccinations with donations and grant funds. No one is turned away for their lack of funds to cover the surgery costs to get these community cats neutered and vaccinated. However, every person who does pay for the community cats they bring in means one more cat that we still have the fund to help!
April 11, 2022, first time trapper Taylor caught a big cat at her job, a local dog-training facility. She said he just walked into the trap! Easy! She suspects that Big Daddy is the “dad” to a litter of kittens she helped rescue at the same location last year.
Imagine her surprise when she brought him into the clinic that morning and found out that Big Daddy was the 1,500th cat brought in for the Bastrop C.A.T.S. TNR Program with Save an Angel! What a catch of the day!
I asked Taylor what advice she would offer to other first-time trappers in the community, and she replied, “Just go for it! It’s always worth a shot when it helps the cats in the long run!”
You too, can become a volunteer trapper or transporter and help reduce cat homelessness right in your neighborhood. Just ask us how!