FELINE SPAY/NEUTER INFO

This is a difficult time and for the safety of everyone we are making some changes to our current Friday protocol. 
 THE SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC IS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.  PLEASE CALL 717-304-9987 OR EMAIL GREYSANDSTRAYS@COMCAST.NET TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT.
1: WEAR A MASK!
2: BRING A PEN TO FILL OUT YOUR PAPERWORK!
3: In order to protect the safety of our team, our doctor and other clients, we request all clients showing signs of illness that can be associated with COVID-19 remain at home and not bring their pet. If you are feeling sick, (ESPECIALLY fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.) please do not come. If you have been in contact with someone infected or potentially infected, do not come!  If you require quarantine do not come!
4: STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE! We are asking pet owners not to enter the building in order to minimize contact distances.  A tech or assistant will come to your vehicle. You do not need to call when you get here we will see you in the lot.
5: Please bring as FEW people as possible in your vehicle and ideally keep your children at home --EVERYONE IN THE VEHICLE MUST WEAR A MASK!

WHEN: A Reduced Cost Feline Spay/Neuter Clinic is offered EVERY FRIDAY (unless posted otherwise)

DROP OFF:  8am. IF YOU ARRIVE LATER THAN 8AM WITH YOUR CAT, HE/SHE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED THAT DAY.  CURRENTLY THIS IS CURBSIDE ONLY.

PICK UP:  YOU MUST WEAR A MASK AND STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE AT PICK UP TIME!!!Currently pick up is 6pm for males and 8pm for females BUT time is SUBJECT TO CHANGE and you may receive a call to pick up your female earlier. MAKE SURE YOU LIST A CORRECT PHONE NUMBER ON YOUR FORM IN CASE WE NEED TO CONTACT YOU!

COSTS/CONSENT FORM:   Feline Spay/Neuter/Vaccination Clinic Liability Form Please click on this form to view costs,etc. We provide the form here so you DO NOT need to print it.  HOWEVER, if you cannot personally drop off your cat you will need to send this completed consent form along with the person transporting your cat OR a signed letter giving us permission to perform surgery. If your female is pregnant, lactating, in heat, has a hernia, or there are any other complications at the time of surgery additional costs will be incurred.
PAYMENT: Payment is due at the time of DROP OFF and is cash or money order only.  There is NO pay on pick-up.

FOOD:  Kitties can have food until 6am and kittens under 1 year of age should get a snack at that time.
WATER: no water restrictions; do not remove water sources 

Discharge Instructions: You will be provided with a copy at time of drop off. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ THE INSTRUCTIONS SO THAT YOU CAN PROPERLY CARE FOR YOUR CAT AFTER SURGERY!!!! You can also peruse them here as well:  Feline Surgery Discharge Instructions

GENERAL INFO:  Please contact Greys and Strays at 717-304-9987 OR  greysandstrays@comcast.net to set up your appointment
1: AN APPOINTMENT IS NEEDED for the SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC
2: At this time we will likely only permit 1 cat per person unless there are extenuating circumstances like 2 spraying males or 2 pregnant females
3: CATS MUST BE HEALTHY FOR SURGERY. Your cat cannot be on antibiotics. If your cat was on meds please consult us before coming.
4: Any cat deemed UNHEALTHY or UNFIT, for WHATEVER reason, will NOT be spayed or neutered.
5: HEART MURMUR: If a heart murmur (you can click on heart murmur for a link) is detected when your cat's heart is ausculted here, we will not spay/neuter.  Cats may have a benign heart murmur detected due to stress BUT because we cannot distinguish the difference between that or a pathologic murmur, we will not spay/neuter.  If you know your cat has a murmur please consult your regular vet for surgery.  If you do not have a regular vet you can make an appointment here to see if your cat has the same murmur at a personal appointment.  If the murmur persists then we recommend pursuing the IDEXX proBNP test, if an echocardiogram is not financially feasible, and/or an echocardiogram which is gold standard for heart murmurs in cats.
6: Since many purebred cats are predisposed to cardiomyopathies we will not perform surgery on them at a clinic
7: If you just applied a flea/tick prevention product, administered/applied dewormer, etc, wait a few days for surgery since some cats can have reactions to these products
8: House cats OVER 5 yrs of age MUST have an exam and blood work HERE before spay/neuter.
9: We do like females to weigh around 4# and be at least 18 wks of age, if possible. Ideally we like cats to be spayed and neutered around 18-20 wks or by 5 mos of age. 

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS:
HOUSE CATS:
1: It is IDEAL to have your house cat vaccinated for rabies and distemper before spay/neuter! You can decline the distemper vaccine and sign the waiver, however, it is ideal to have vaccinations, deworming, examination etc done before spay/neuter.  Due to the fact that we see outbreaks of Panleukopenia, aka Distemper, in our area we highly recommend vaccination before spay/neuter. You can read about this deadly virus on this site. FVRCP is a CORE vaccine! Vaccines may cause lethargy, pain at the injection site, reduced appetite and fever.  This is the reason we like them done prior to surgery.  Plus, we want them immunized before encountering other cats.  We will NOT give distemper at the time of surgery.  Again, vaccines may cause reactions.  Therefore, if your pet gets sick after the surgery, is it from the spay/neuter or from the vaccine?
2: WE REQUIRE A RABIES VACCINATION FOR EVERY CAT.  You will need to provide proof of rabies per PA State Law which is the rabies certificate. If you do not have proof of rabies, it is required.  Though it is not ideal, we will administer a rabies vaccine at the time of spay/neuter to unvaccinated cats.  Surgery does not affect the ability of the immune system to mount a response, and therefore, the rabies vaccine should be effective. BUT, there MUST BE AT LEAST A 2 WEEK INTERVAL BETWEEN VACCINATIONS!! This means, if your cat requires rabies at the time of surgery you will need to wait at least 2 weeks after any other vaccination.  You must wait at least 2 weeks so that the response of the immune system can subside before stimulating it again.  Therefore, IF we would give a rabies vaccination 1 week after the FVRCP, it is very possible that it would not be completely effective!
3: While most vaccine reactions occur in the first 24-72 hrs, there are reported cases that occur 1-2 weeks post injection, this is the reason we like to do S/N 2 weeks after vaccinations. ALSO, if you require a rabies vaccine, and bring your cat in 1 week after a FVRCP vaccination, we will not be able to vaccinate for rabies which we require.  Vaccines, if given at separate times, MUST be separated by at least 2 weeks due to the immune system.

OUTSIDE/FERAL CATS
We understand that vaccinations prior to S/N for feral or TNR cats is impossible and will give rabies at the time of S/N. We also understand that some trapped cats will weigh less and be younger than 4-5 mos of age.
TRAPS: YOU CAN BRING FERAL/TNR CATS IN THEIR TRAPS BUT PLEASE COVER THEM TO REDUCE THEIR STRESS. If you want to bring a carrier to recover your feral in after surgery that would be great! 

CARRIER INFO
Fear Free recommends covering carriers with a towel to decrease anxiety, spraying the towel with Feliway 30 minutes before transport, playing soft music on the trip or Through a Cat's Ear CD, and placing the carrier on the floor behind the passenger seat.
THERE IS INFO ON THIS WEBSITE ABOUT GETTING CATS INTO CARRIERS UNDER CARRIER WARS AND MAKING THEIR TRIP TO THE VET MORE FEAR FREE. PLEASE CHECK OUT CATFRIENDLY.COM FOR MORE INFO.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CARRIERS ARE CLEAN, INSIDE AND OUT!!!! IT IS NOT HEALTHY FOR YOUR CAT TO TRAVEL IN A CARRIER WITH MOLDY FOOD, PETRIFIED STOOL, URINE FROM A PREVIOUS VISIT OR SOILED/DIRTY TOWELS; RODENT OR BIRD DROPPINGS, ETC ..PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PROPER CARRIER, AS LISTED HERE, WE WILL NOT ACCEPT YOUR CAT FOR SURGERY. PUT SOMETHING IN THE CARRIER TO ABSORB WASTE LIKE a fleece, fabric towel, shred or newspaper but NO LITTER BOXES in the carriers or litter. Soiled materials will be discarded so do not use cherished items. CATS PREFER FLEECE.

Cats must be in SEPARATE, SECURE, HARD CASE CARRIERS-NO HARNESSES OR LEASHES OR SOFT CARRIERS OR WIRE CRATES!!!!!!
SEPARATE: THIS MEANS ONE CAT PER CARRIER; YOU CANNOT PUT 2 CATS IN THE SAME CARRIER;
SECURE: THIS MEANS DO NOT BRING A BROKEN or DUCT TAPED CARRIER, OR A CARRIER HELD TOGETHER WITH NAILS, SCREWDRIVERS, WIRE, STRING, ETC ETC ETC-we do not want your cat to escape!!!
HARD CASE: This means your carrier must be constructed of hard plastic (cats prefer carriers with top and front openings) MAKE SURE YOUR CARRIER IS SIZE APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR PET!!

DO NOT BRING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS--THEY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED:
1: anything constructed out of cardboard
2: ANY TYPE OF SOFT CARRIER!! we have seen cats frequently chew out of these..
3: ANY TYPE OF WIRE CRATE..cats are too stressed in these...
4: THE FLIMSY MIDWEST PLASTIC CARRIERS THAT DO NOT CLOSE PROPERLY
5: hay or straw
6: cat leashes or harnesses
7: wash baskets
8: hampers
9: duct taped carriers
10: suitcases
11: flimsy bags
12: boxes
13: duct taped trash cans
14: 5 Gallon buckets
15: picnic baskets
16: picnic basket style carriers that only open from the top 
18: Back packs
19: Litter Boxes
20: dog kennels large enough for a 30-50# dog