Clinic Review

August 28, 2005
Spay, Neuter and Vaccination Clinic

On August 28, 2005 Commonwealth Cats held a Spay, Neuter and Vaccination Clinic in Brockton, MA. The following metrics show the cats we were able to help.

• 54 cats were scheduled for admission.
• 32 cats were admitted.
• 24 of these cats were female.
• 8 of these cats were males
• 30 of these cats were spayed or neutered.
• 2 of these cats had been previously spayed.
• 1 of these cats had a microchip.

At our past clinics we've gotten a more even ratio of males to females so this was a bit unusual for us.

Commonwealth Cats has an AVID microchip scanner and we scan all the cats during their pre-op exam on the chance that one has a chip. Yesterday we found one! This was exciting. The chip was a Home Again chip and we called the hotline number and got the information for the listed owner. It turns out the cat was chipped in June of 2004 at the Animal Rescue League. Unfortunately, the phone number that Home Again had for the owner was a "wrong number" and directory assistance had noone by the name of the owner listed in the town. The cat was trapped on the same street as the listed owner, so the rescue group that trapped the cat had someone local to the area set out to knock on doors to investigate. She suspects the cat was left behind, but will continue to pursue this. The cat appears to be friendly, so in the event the owner cannot be found, the organization that trapped her will put her up for adoption. In the meantime, we gave her a Rabies and FVRCP vaccine and did not ear-tip her.

Commonwealth Cats is very grateful to the MSPCA and especially the MetroSouth Shelter for arranging the use of their mobile spay van and for hosting us at their shelter. Many of the cats that we admitted were from colonys in the South Shore area and trapped by local humane societies and cat rescue groups. Some of the groups that coordinated trapping were South Shore Humane Society, Neponset Valley Humane Society, Hilltop Humane Society and the Brockton Cat Coalition. We also had cats that came from from further afield including Billerica, MA and Shrewsbury, MA.

We are thankful to the Brockton Cat Coalition which very generously provided lunch to the volunteers and to the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society for lending us their surgery packs and supplies.

Commonwealth Cats is hoping to have 2 more clinics before the end of the year. Our goal for 2005 was to organize 6 clinics and we are on track to meet that goal. We are hoping to add additional clinics in 2006 so that we can help more cats.

Commonwealth Cats has been very fortunate to have a dedicated team of veterinarians, veterinary technicians and assistants who have volunteered their time and expertise to help feral cats in Massachusetts who would not otherwise receive any veterinary care. The mission of Commonwealth Cats is to deliver humane sterilization and vaccination services for the health and population control of feral cats in Massachusetts.

While we do not yet have a formal newsletter, this is something that we hope to be able to offer in the future. The Board of Directors for Commonwealth Cats wishes to thank the individuals and organizations that have made donations to us. It is expensive to purchase surgical and medical supplies, anesthesia and vaccines and your generosity has made it possible for us to help the most needy cats in Massachusetts.