California Veterinarians Assist Low Income Cat Owners.

No matter what our economic status, cats bring enjoyment to our lives. They scamper through the house, delight us with their antics and sooth our nerves by the simple act of petting them.

But sometimes, a person's budget gets stretched to the point that providing some of the needed medical services to the furry family member is not possible. Over pet population is a sad reality. It results in tens of thousands of healthy cats and dogs being destroyed in the United States every year. In an attempt to assist low-income cat owners with neutering their pets, the California Veterinary Medical Association, in conjunction with Maddie's Fund, has established the "Low-Income Owner/Caregiver Altering Program." The goal is to neuter 10,000 cats by June 2001. There is no cost to the pet owner. To qualify, a person merely needs to possess a Medi-Cal card. There is a limit of three cats per household. The veterinarian is compensated a token amount to cover their expenses by the Veterinary Association and Maddie's Fund.

This program comes on the heels of another extremely successful program to alter feral cats in California. Feral cats are strays that shun human contact. They live a very short and often tragic life. By controlling their numbers through neutering, their lot in life will be improved and their sheer numbers reduced. The goal of this program is to alter 60,000 cats in a three-year period, and they are well on their way.

To learn how you can start such a program in your community, contact the California Veterinary Medical Association in Sacramento, California, because they are "Your Pet…Health Matters."