Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Just under 70 felines were spayed or neutered and another 40 were given a wellness checkup during an OSPCA Lennox and Addington mobile clinic, held in Napanee Thursday and Friday at Drain-All.
Serving as the operating room was a fully equipped trailer, on loan from the Niagara OSPCA. Inside professionals performed just shy of 70 cat spay or neuters, all for a reduced cost of $100 per surgery.
The mobile clinic was organized by OSPCA Lennox and Addington manager Esther McCutcheon, who wanted to provide the service for those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to get their pets ‘fixed’. The net result will be fewer pet owners left with unplanned litters and fewer surrenders to the shelter.
“Hopefully in the future we’ll be able to have more clinics like this,” said McCutcheon, noting this was the first of its kind in Napanee. “It’s a big job and a big undertaking. If the community really supports this we would appreciate it. If anyone would like to sponsor events like this, it could lower the cost even more for people who bring their pets to be spayed or neutered and that would help the community even more.”
In the interest of making for a calmer recovery room, last week’s clinic was for cats only. McCutcheon says she has plans for having a similar clinic just for dogs in the future.
“A lot of people simply wouldn’t be able to (afford the surgeries for their cats) otherwise,” McCutcheon said of the clinic. “We are just covering our basic cost, and then the SPCA is making up the balance.”
Along with the spay and neutering were wellness checks, which were performed by student volunteers from St. Lawrence College. The $40 checkup included microchipping and vaccinations to prevent rabies and ticks.
Drain-All provided space for the clinic, allowing the mobile trailer to park in their parking lot for two days while also providing a recovery room for the cats as they woke following the surgery.
“It’s gone off without a hitch,” said McCutcheon. “(Thursday) we had a lot of positive comments on our Facebook page.”
An exact date for the next clinic hasn’t yet been determined, but McCutcheon said all future announcements will be made on their Ontario SPCA Lennox and Addington Animal Centre Facebook page.