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A community cat from Lambert’s Point

Today was another busy morning and our last clinic for the month.

The majority of cats brought for surgery were community cats – free-roaming cats without homes, left to be cared for by concerned members of the community. As the weather gets warmer, these cats reproduce, enlarging their populations. Without caregivers to manage these populations and protect the cats, our shelters fill with them, along with the many litters of kittens resulting from owned but unaltered cats. As most community cats are feral or unsocialized (or desocialized), they are difficult or impossible to adopt into homes and thus must be euthanized. Spay Hampton Roads is very thankful to the dedicated community members who spend their time and money to help these cats.

Suzy Q

Sometimes, though, it’s the cat who helps the person. Until recently, Suzy Q lived with an elderly woman. One day, the woman had a stroke. Suzy Q began crying, which alerted the building supervisor, who then called the rescue squad. Without her cries, the woman may have not received help in time to live.

Zoey

Sometimes it’s the dog who helps the cat! The Valdez family brought Zoey and Spike to be spayed and neutered, respectively, this morning. At just a day old, Zoey was found under a fence by a friend’s dog. The Valdez family took her in, adding another to a home already caring for three rescued cats.

Chanal

On clinic mornings, the volunteers who assist with check-in hear various stories about how participants’ pets came to them. For dogs, the story is often that the person has taken over care for someone who cannot or will not care for the dog. For cats, the story is often that the cat was found and has been taken in by the person. We can’t share every story, but we couldn’t resist sharing this one, which the volunteer in charge of clinic scheduling heard when scheduling Chanal for spay surgery:

Chanal makes a new friend

“The blue pit with the butchered ears has a story.  The breeder gave her away because he thought she had a prolapsed vagina and wouldn’t be able to breed her. He was wrong.  She did not have that ailment & was healthy enough to have had a litter but fortunately she ended up with a wonderful caring owner who had her spayed. Sometimes the animals win.”

Indeed.

Help us help more animals win. We always need more people to get the word out about our clinics and spay/neuter in general. If you would like to place a poster or fliers in your business, please contact us at spayhr2010@gmail.com or 757-456-1215. Or, you can make a donation by visiting our website. Your time is also valuable to us. Please consider volunteering to help distribute fliers or participate in other outreach efforts.