FELINE SPAY/NEUTER INFO

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

GENERAL INFO:  Please contact Greys and Strays at 717-304-9987 OR  greysandstrays@comcast.net if you have any questions. 
1: NO APPOINTMENT IS NEEDED FOR FRIDAY
2: PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS PER PERSON/HOUSEHOLD/ADDRESS: NO MORE THAN 2 FEMALES or 2 UNKNOWNS or 2 TRAPS
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.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS:
HOUSE CATS: If you have a regular vet for your cat it is ideal that you contact them for spay/neuter of your cat.
1: You will need to provide proof of distemper and rabies vaccinations. 
2: We will NOT give distemper at the time of surgery. 
3: 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.  WE REQUIRE A RABIES VACCINATION FOR EVERY CAT. 
4: 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.
5: S/N will only be performed 2 weeks after vaccinations.  If your cat was vaccinated with FVRCP, Rabies, or Leukemia, please wait 2 weeks after those vaccines to bring in for S/N. 
6: 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. 
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.

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.

DROP OFF:  8am. IF YOU ARRIVE LATER THAN 8AM WITH YOUR CAT, HE/SHE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED THAT DAY. WE DO NOT CHECK IN BEFORE 8AM. MALES ARE CHECKED IN FIRST, THEN FEMALES, AND THEN TRAPS. BE CONSIDERATE OF YOUR CAT!!!! DO NOT STAND OUT IN THE RAIN, THE SNOW, THE HEAT, WAITING IN LINE!! ANYONE HERE AT 8 AM WILL BE ADMITTED. IF YOU FEEL YOU MUST STAND OUTSIDE IN LINE YOUR CAT CARRIER MUST BE COVERED.

CARRIERS: 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, STOOL OR 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 must be in SEPARATE, SECURE, HARD CASE CARRIERS-NO HARNESSES OR LEASHES OR SOFT CARRIERS!!!!!!
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 DO NOT BRING A SOFT CASE CARRIER OR ANYTHING CONSTRUCTED OUT OF CARDBOARD; (cats prefer carriers with top and front openings)
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.

DO NOT BRING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS--THEY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED:
1: anything constructed out of cardboard
2: litter boxes
3: wire crates
4: dog kennels large enough for a 30-50# dog
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 
17: NO SOFT CARRIERS 

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! 

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: MALES: can have food until 4 am; give those under 1 yr of age something to eat at 4 am, like 1/2 of their normal meal; FEMALES: can have food until 6am and make sure those under 1 yr of age eat something in the am;
WATER: no water restrictions; do not remove water sources

PICK UP:  To be determined each Friday and you will be informed of the time in the am.  Recent PU time has been 8pm or 10pm. Cats will not be discharged until fully awake for the safety of the cat.  D/C time is subject to change that day if we have ERs causing the PU time to be later or get done sooner meaning earlier PU time, but it will never be before 6pm. MAKE SURE YOU LIST A CORRECT PHONE NUMBER ON YOUR FORM IN CASE WE NEED TO CONTACT YOU!

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!!!! Feline Surgery Discharge Instructions