KERSEY – Through a partnership with the Elk County Humane Society, the Elk County Veterinary Clinic hosted a successful, low-cost spay and neuter clinic on Friday, helping to spay or neuter a total of 28 cats.
The cats were spayed or neutered at a significantly reduced cost.
The clinic was able to be run at a lower cost as different anesthesia and procedures were used to reduce costs.
Dr. Jesse Shirey, owner of the Elk County Veterinary Clinic, said the clinic made the procedures as safe as possible, but due to the low cost, it was still not the same as a regular procedure through Elk County Veterinary Clinic.
Shirey continued to say that the spay and neuter clinic was set up to help combat an issue that communities in Elk County face with having an abundance of stray and feral cats in the area.
“We know there is a feral and stray cat issue in the area that the humane society cannot curtail alone,” Shirey said. “We are glad to participate in working towards a solution.”
While the issue of stray and feral cats is not unique to Elk County, it is definitely an issue that does not go unnoticed by the county’s residents.
The Elk County Humane Society takes in stray cats from the county. However, limited resources and space limit how many animals can be accepted.
As it often runs at or near full capacity, the Elk County Humane Society often cannot accept new cats, and left unfixed on the streets, these cats can quickly multiply, creating an even bigger issue for local municipalities and communities to deal with.
Prior to Friday’s clinic, the Elk County Veterinary Clinic had two other feline neuter clinics in the recent months.
In November 2016 Shirey and veterinary technicians Alex Geer and Sara Sidelinger performed a clinic at the humane society, while Dr. Nancy Meyer performed another clinic in March where she neutered 12 cats.
The Elk County Veterinary Clinic and Elk County Humane Society work together to ensure that each and every animal adopted by the society is either spayed or neutered.
“These spay and neuter clinics are very important to the staff of the veterinary clinic,” Shirey said. “It is important to us to continue doing these clinics on a regular basis in the future, and we always welcome the chance to work with the humane society.”
