San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition

TO REDUCE THE OVERPOPULATION OF CATS IN THE SAN ANTONIO AREA THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION, RESCUE, TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN (TNR), AND EMPOWERING THE COMMUNITY TO CARE FOR OUTSIDE CATS.

OUR COMMUNITY CAT ADOPTION PROGRAM IS A HOME-BASED FOSTER PROGRAM THAT RESCUES YOUNG KITTENS AND FRIENDLY STRAYS FROM TRAPPING PROJECTS AND REQUESTS FROM THE PUBLIC. WE PARTNER WITH PETCO AND PETSMART AND HAVE OUR CATS IN NINE OF THEIR ADOPTION CENTERS AROUND THE CITY. THEY ARE ALSO ADVERTISED ON OUR WEBSITE AND ON PETFINDER. BEFORE ADOPTION, THE CATS ARE SPAYED OR NEUTERED, VACCINATED AND HAVE ANY MEDICAL NEEDS TAKEN CARE OF. IN 2021, WE ADOPTED OUT 1,674 CATS AND TRANSFERRED 134 OTHERS TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO PLACE FOR ADOPTION. WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 80 FOSTERS.

TNR SUBSIDY PROGRAM - SAFCC SUBSIDIZES THE COST OF SPAY/NEUTER FOR THREE CLINICS SO THE PUBLIC ONLY PAYS 20 TO GET AN OUTSIDE CAT SPAYED/NEUTERED AND VACCINATED. OUR PARTNER CLINICS ARE THE SAN ANTONIO HUMANE SOCIETY, BROOKS SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC AND THE ANIMAL DEFENSE LEAGUE. LAST YEAR DUE TO COVID CLOSURES, WE DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER CLINICS AND VETS IN ORDER TO CONTINUE TNR. FEES WERE HIGHER WITH THESE OTHER GROUPS, SO OUR EXPENSES WERE MUCH HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE EFFORTS OF OUR TRAPPER TEAM, WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO TNR MORE CATS. ONE OF THE VETERINARIANS APPROACHED US AND OFFERED TO DO A HALF DAY SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC. THIS STARTED IN SEPTEMBER OF 2020. SINCE THIS WAS SO SUCCESSFUL, THE VETERINARIAN OFFERED TO DO FULL DAY SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS. THIS STARTED IN MARCH OF 2021. THESE FERAL CAT COALITION CLINICS ALONE FIXED 2,024 CATS AT A COST OF 147,094 - THIS WAS PAID TO DRAGONFLY VET SERVICES. OTHER SURGERIES WERE ALSO PERFORMED, SUCH AS AMPUTATIONS, AT A LOWER COST, SAVING US MONEY. THIS IS ONE OF THE SEVEN CLINICS WE WORK WITH TO SUPPORT THE SPAY/NEUTER OF CATS IN BEXAR COUNTY. IN TOTAL, IN 2021, WE FUNDED THE SPAY/NEUTER OF 7,062 CATS.

THE TRAPPER TEAM IS A GROUP OF 10-15 EXPERIENCED TRAPPERS WHO TRAP CATS FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT PHYSICALLY TRAP,USUALLY THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED. IN SOME CASES, BUSINESSES AND PRIVATE CITIZENS OFFER TO PAY TO HAVE CATS TNR'ED. THESE TRAPPERS ARE PAID 20 PER CAT TO TRAP, TAKE TO A CLINIC FOR SPAY/NEUTER, RECOVER THE CAT AND RETURN IT IN GOOD CONDITION TO THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS TRAPPED. THIS IS NORMALLY A 2-3 DAY PROCESS, BUT IT CAN BE LONGER. IN 2021, OUR TRAPPER TEAM TRAPPED 3,827 CATS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE NOT BEEN SPAYED OR NEUTERED.

THE FERAL FOOD PROGRAM HELPS COLONY FEEDERS WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO FEED THEIR CATS. THERE IS AN APPLICATION WHERE THEY NEED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON HOW MANY CATS THEY FEED AND WHERE, AS WELL AS WHY FEEDING THEM WOULD BE A FINANCIAL HARDSHIP. ALL CATS MUST BE FIXED. THIS IS A SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAM. IN 2021 4,700 WAS SPENT ON FOOD FOR FERAL CATS. THE CAT CRISIS FUND PAYS FOR VETERINARY CARE FOR SICK OR INJURED COMMUNITY CATS. COLONY CARETAKERS ARE ALREADY SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON FOOD AND CANNOT AFFORD TO TAKE THEIR CATS TO A VET. GOOD SAMARITANS WHO FIND INJURED CATS OR KITTENS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD CANNOT AFFORD THE HUGE VET BILLS THAT COME WITH THESE INJURIES. SOMETIMES HUMANE EUTHANASIA IS THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION. IN 2021, WE SPENT 25,084 TO HELP SICK OR INJURED OUTSIDE CATS.