New Mayor's Alliance Program Offers Free Neuters for NYC Tomcats - Spring 2008 - Out of the Cage!, the E-Newsletter of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals

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New Mayor's Alliance Program Offers Free Neuters for NYC Tomcats

A male cat is prepared for neuter surgery at a Mayor's Alliance Tomcat Clinic. (Photo by Janell Granier)

A male cat is prepared for neuter surgery at a Mayor's Alliance Tomcat Clinic.

(Photo by Janell Granier)

Mary McGluckin of Jackson Heights was one of the first to arrive at AC&C's Brooklyn Care Center that early April Sunday morning. In hand were Bear and Mugsy, her two male cats, scheduled for free neuter surgery at the Mayor's Alliance's Tomcat Neuter Clinic, the second such clinic since the program was launched in February.

Like most of the New Yorkers who bring their companion cats to be neutered at a Mayor's Alliance Tomcat Clinic, Mary was enticed by the offer of having her cats neutered at no charge. Citing the high cost of a neuter at her regular vet as an obstacle, Mary said that the Tomcat Clinic is a blessing. "I know it's important to have my cats neutered, and it will make them more comfortable and less prone to disease later in life," she said, "but the cost can be prohibitive."

With that in mind, the Mayor's Alliance developed the Tomcat Neuter Clinics, and enlisted two key partners to ensure success. First was Dr. Elizabeth "Buffy" Hartmann, DVM, a retired veterinarian from Southold, NY, who has performed free neuters for residents of her Eastern Long Island community in partnership with the North Fork Animal Welfare League (NFAWL), an Alliance Participating Organization (APO) that operates the Southold Town Shelter. Dr. Hartmann and NFAWL director Gillian Wood-Pultz offered to stage a free neuter clinic for up to 30 cats for the Mayor's Alliance. They would provide the surgeries, vaccinations (for cats that had not already been vaccinated), supplies, and volunteers to orchestrate the delicate transfer of the cats from holding area to surgery and back to holding area.

The team of (left to right) Mary Johnson, Dr. Elizabeth Hartmann, DVM, Gillian Wood-Pultz, and Ellen Berger facilitated the Tomcat Clinics in February and April. (Photo by Janell Granier)

The team of (left to right) Mary Johnson, Dr. Elizabeth Hartmann, DVM, Gillian Wood-Pultz, and Ellen Berger facilitated the Tomcat Clinics in February and April.

(Photo by Janell Granier)

Next, the Mayor's Alliance arranged with AC&C to have the surgeries performed on the AC&C neuter van at the Brooklyn Care Center on Linden Boulevard, and a holding space was provided in the form of a heated garage at the Center, just steps away from where the van would be parked.

With all the pieces in place, the Mayor's Alliance held its first clinic on Sunday, February 24. Some of the families that brought their cats traveled from as far away as the Bronx. Since only 30 cats can be scheduled for each one-day clinic, and the response from the public was so strong, a second clinic was scheduled in April to neuter those cats who could not be accommodated at the February clinic, and new outreach filled the remaining available spots.

With interest from the public remaining high, the Mayor's Alliance will schedule its next Tomcat Neuter Clinic within the coming weeks. The clinic will be announced on the Mayor's Alliance web site and via posters distributed by volunteers. Pre-registration is required. If you or someone you know wishes to have a male cat neutered at a Tomcat Clinic, please contact the Mayor's Alliance at info@AnimalAllianceNYC.org or call (212) 252-2350. To be eligible for the surgery, a cat must be male and at least 15 weeks old.