Gateway region wraps up pilot cat spay/neuter project
Courtesy of the Gateway Area Development District
Oct. 14, 2024
The Gateway Area Development District (GADD) and Team Shelter USA, LLC, recently wrapped up the six-month pilot Gateway Cat Spay/Neuter project. In January, GADD announced it had received a $100,000 grant from the Joanie Bernard Foundation to implement a regional cat spay/neuter project, with the goal being to decrease the number of cats and kittens entering shelters. The project targeted Bath, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, and Rowan counties.
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To implement the project, GADD collaborated with Team Shelter USA, LLC, which functioned as the grant administering agency. GADD selected and contracted with local veterinarians and non-profit organizations to perform the spay/neuter procedures. Local animal shelters in each of the Gateway area counties helped coordinate and schedule surgeries. Additionally, cats were provided with vaccinations and marked in a process known as "ear-tipping," which makes the cat easily identifiable from a distance as being fixed and unable to add to the cat population.
In the six-month grant performance period, over 900 cat spay/neuter procedures were completed across the five-county Gateway region, and there were a small number of surgeries for cats outside the region. ​
The total number of procedures amounted to 903, with 74 of those in Bath County, 99 in Menifee, 391 in Montgomerey, 85 in Morgan, 245 in Rowan, and nine out-of-region.
"The Joanie Bernard Foundation is glad to be of service in the Gateway Area Development District region. Our programs throughout Kentucky have proven that targeted, subsidized spay/neuter for cats benefits everyone in the community while reducing shelter intake," said Dr. Sara Pizano, a representative for the Joanie Bernard Foundation. "We are grateful to all our service providers who participated in this pilot program that included Rowan Veterinary Clinic, the Animal Care Hospital, Bath Veterinary Clinic, and the Gateway Area Humane Society.
"GADD Executive Director Joshua Farrow expressed his gratitude to those who helped make this project possible: "On behalf of Gateway Area Development District, I would like to thank the Joanie Bernard Foundation for selecting and funding the Gateway Cat Spay/Neuter pilot project. I would also like to thank Dr. Sara Pizano, who we have worked with for nearly two years, for her assistance in securing and administering the grant. This project would not have been possible without our providers, shelters, and countless volunteers. With over 900 procedures performed, the project was an immense success."