The Humane Society Offers Free Spay/Neuter Surgeries to Celebrate National Feral Cat Day
October 2, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC – October 2, 2013 – The Humane Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which strives to end overpopulation by offering low-cost spay and neuter surgeries, will offer free spay/neuter surgeries for feral cats in honor of National Feral Cat Day on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013.
The Humane Society will offer free surgeries to the first 20 cats registered by their caregivers. Registration will open on Tuesday, Oct. 1 and is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Feral cats are the same species as domestic cats, but they live independently outdoors, and are not socialized to people. Sterilization of feral cats is essential to trap-neuter-release efforts, which limit the breeding cycle and make feral cats better neighbors.
“We know that the only way to really positively impact pet overpopulation in the Midlands and to decrease intakes at our area animal shelters is to spay or neuter our pets,” said Wayne Brennessel, executive director of The Humane Society. “Though we offer the lowest cost spay and neuter surgeries in our area year round, limiting the number of feral cats in our neighborhoods is always a top priority of ours, and in offering these surgeries for free, we hope to encourage those who know of feral cats living near their homes to bring them in to be spayed or neutered at no cost.”
The Humane Society, which has a veterinarian on staff, will offer these free surgeries to caregivers who follow these guidelines:
• Cats must be presented in a humane trap, accompanied by a hard plastic pet carrier.
• Cats must be brought to the Humane Society in the trap on Tuesday, Oct. 15 between 2 – 4 p.m.
• All cats presented for surgery will be provided with a rabies vaccination. The cost of the vaccination is $9.
• All cats must be picked up by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
• Caregivers must sign the Urban Cats Agreement and adhere to appropriate post-surgical care.
For more information on the Humane Society or to schedule a surgery, call (803) 783-1267 or visit www.HumaneSC.org. Follow the Humane Society on Facebook.
About the HUMANE SOCIETY
The Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (HSPCA) is a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1902 to address animal welfare issues in central South Carolina. Since its inception, The Humane Society focused on ending animal cruelty, neglect and abuse. In the early 1980s The Humane Society began to address animal overpopulation by offering low cost spay/neuter surgeries. The Humane Society is located at 121 Humane Lane in Columbia.
