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At the ASPCA's Spay Days, dozens of feral and stray cats were spayed/neutered and vaccinated before being returned to their colonies. Photo by Meredith Weiss Spay Days at the ASPCA for Feral Cats by Myles Chadwick, ASPCA In September, the ASPCA celebrated two years of successful Spay Days — high-quality, high-volume (HQHV) spay/neuter days orchestrated in the "in-clinic clinic" style. They typically occur twice each month (calendar permitting) on Sundays, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending as close to 5:00 p.m. as possible. Approximately 80 to 100 feral or free-roaming cats are sterilized during these all-day clinics. Spay Days are a collaborative effort between the ASPCA Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic medical staff and ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital. The Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic medical staff bring their invaluable HQHV spay/neuter expertise to life in medical facilities provided to them by the Hospital. Intake begins around 8:30 a.m. and pick-up is the same day, around 4:00 p.m. (pick-up times vary). The person designated for drop-off and pick-up must be the same person, and must be TNR-certified. Upcoming 2011 Spay Days Tentative dates for Spay Days for the first quarter of 2011 are: January 9 and 23 February 6 and 27 March 13 and 27 Appointments are required. To reserve a spot for any of these dates, please contact the TNR scheduling center at (877) 772-9692 (877-SPAY-NYC). Calls are accepted Monday–Friday 3:00–8:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. For Spay Day appointments, press option 1, then option 6, then option 1. Requirements All rescuers bringing cats to Spay Day must be TNR-certified. All cats must be feral and come in traps. All cats will be eartipped — no exceptions. In order to reserve slots for Spay Day, rescuers are usually required to have a minimum of 10 cats. The Spay Day medical protocols were designed for feral and free-roaming cats. No adoptable felines will be accepted on Spay Day. Feral cats must be brought in clean, covered traps (one cat per trap) with no shredded newspapers or food dishes inside. For more information, call (877) 772-9692 (877-SPAY-NYC). About the Author Myles Chadwick was born in Denver, CO, and has lived all over the United States and around the world. He moved to New York in 2008 and began working for the ASPCA at Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital. It was during his year in the hospital that he began volunteering for Spay Day, which ignited an interest in spay/neuter that eventually led to Myles' transfer to the Spay/Neuter Operations department of the ASPCA. Myles has one rescued cat at home and still works at almost every Spay Day, always looking for ways to make the days more successful for the animals and the rescuers. |
