Catching Up with Caturdays

by Lisa Alexander | August 17th, 2021 | 11:37 am

Categories: Cats, Clinic

Have you noticed how hard it is to get a vet appointment lately? Between the shortage of vets and vet techs, the surge in pet ownership during the pandemic, social distancing protocols, and the pent-up demand for services, most veterinary clinics are booked solid weeks and months in advance. Many are so overwhelmed, they’re not accepting new patients. Fortunately, Napa Humane’s Spay/Neuter Clinic is back operating at full pre-pandemic capacity Monday through Friday, but it’s just not enough to meet the demand. That’s why we need Caturdays!

Napa Humane Caturdays typically focus on spaying cats who are at imminent risk of getting pregnant. These include feral cats living out on the street, young kittens that live in a home with male cats or kittens, as well as cats in heat, who will go to any length to find a mate. Spaying a female cat, especially before the first heat, helps prevent uterine infections, uterine cancers, and breast cancer. Neutering male cats eliminates the chances of testicular cancer and lowers the risk of prostate problems. Generally speaking, spayed and neutered pets live healthier, longer, and happier lives. And, of course, spaying/neutering animals helps control pet overpopulation by reducing the number of unwanted animals fending for themselves on the street and in shelters!

Our clinic hosted another of our special weekend spay/neuter events for cats, which allowed us to provide life-saving spay/neuter surgery to 21 kitties at high risk of becoming pregnant. That brought our total for the month of July to an amazing 430 dogs, cats and rabbits! Almost three-quarters of the pets we saw in July were from Napa County, with one-quarter coming from Solano County, and 18 furry loved ones making the trek from Lake County. Ours is the only low-cost spay/neuter program available in these three counties, and it’s clear from our packed surgical schedule that we are sorely needed.

We are beyond grateful to have such wonderful and dedicated relief vets, like Dr. D’Angelo-Loechner, signing up to work weekends with us on top of their already full weekday schedules. (Another special shout-out goes to Dr. Mary Whitehill (photographed here) and Dr. Nate Fichtenberg, who gave up their Sunday morning to provide free wellness exams to low-income families at our last Wellness Clinic!)