CLINIC FOR CATS
Dozens of Collar City felines go to spay and neuter clinic
TROY, N.Y. » Dozens of area felines, both feral and friendly, went to a spay and neuter cat clinic over the weekend.
The event, held Sunday at Troy Veterinary Hospital, was an effort by the locally-based organization Operation Snip.
Founded in March of 2012 by former Troy City Council President Lynn Kopka, Operation Snip began as Troy Trap-Neuter-Return, a program to trap, neuter and return outdoor, feral cats living throughout Troy’s abandoned buildings and alleys.
Since then, Operation Snip has grown to help spay and neuter many cats from throughout the Capital Region, on a regular basis and during special events like Sunday’s clinic.
“When we do a big day like this we want to get as many at-risk cats as we can,” Kopka said after carrying in some cats that she trapped herself.
Many of the cats were from around Troy, said Kopka, who has long been involved with the feral cat population in her neighborhood of Washington Park.
“The overpopulation of feral cats is a concern to residents and businesses throughout Troy,” Kopka said in a press release. Parts of Troy have been identified as “hot spots” for free roaming kittens being born, she noted. “Working with the Troy Veterinary Hospital in early spring to spay and neuter up to 75 cats is a good beginning to address this issue.”
“Cats are totally out of control. There are more cats living on the streets than there are living in people’s houses,” said veterinary technician Barb Nizinkirck of Troy Veterinary Hospital. “The term that they now use is ‘community cats’ because they truly
are now the community’s cats. Nobody wants to claim them. Nobody wants to take care of them.”
To help with this problem, Operation Snip aims to spay and neuter cats so the population doesn’t continue to grow exponentially. “This is a day to help contain because these animals will just procreate,” Nizinkirck said, explaining how just a
few cats can quickly turn into a colony, as female cats typically have two litters a year of about six kittens each.
Along with the spaying and neutering surgeries, the clinic also vaccinated the cats for rabies and distemper. Other detactable illnesses are addressed.
Several veterinarians, veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, as well as community volunteers, donated their time on Sunday to the Operation Snip event. The facility, medical supplies and food were also donated.
“It’s kind of a goodwill day,” Nizinkirck said.
In addition to Operation
Snip and Troy Veterinary Hospital, many regional cat groups like Scruff, Cat Care Coalition; Purrfect Companions; Operation Snip; Cat Tales, as well as individual trappers joined forces to help to make the event a success.
Debbie D’Angelo, one of the individual trappers who helped with Sunday’s event, said she was out trapping cats all weekend in preparation for the clinic.
“The reason I do it is because I don’t want to see all of these unwanted kittens being born out on the streets,” she said. “It’s to prevent that from happening.”
Kopka’s ultimate goal for Operation Snip is to “go out of business,” she said, because that would mean no more cats reproducing irresponsibly.
“It’s better for the health of the cats,” she said. “If people are tending colonies of cats they need a group that isn’t reproducing and that is healthy. And that’s basically what this does. They get their shots, they get spayed, neutered.”
This large event was strategically held in the springtime, before female cats typically get pregnant, Kopka said. “If we can get the females before they’re starting to reproduce, then we have a lot less of a load in the summer.”
The adult cats that come through Operation Snip are often not candidates for adoption and cannot be introduced into homes as pets.
Kittens can be adopted, but they must be socialized at an early age.
Friendly cats who have been abandoned are now being offered for adoption to loving, responsible homes.
More information about Operation Snip is available online at operationsnip.org and www. facebook.com/ OpSnip.