Local spay and neuter clinics being organized

Editor’s note: This version corrects some misreporting and clarifies some issues.

Animal organizations in Chinook and Havre are scheduling spay-neuter and vaccination clinics in the upcoming months, with the organizer of the Chinook event for cats looking for volunteers and asking people to schedule early.

PAWS of Chinook volunteer Alissa Hewitt said the Chinook event, co-sponsored by PAWS and Hi-Line Spay and Neuter clinics, is for stray and feral cast, and is set for April 25 beginning at 8 a.m.

"Even though PAWS doesn't accept cats because our shelter isn't built for them, we do understand the problem with pet overpopulation and the kind of damage it could cause in the community," Hewitt said.  "Even though we don't accept cats, as an animal organization we do wanna stress the importance of spay and neutering your pets, your ferals, your strays, and this is our way of kind of helping do that."

Local area veterinarians will be doing the surgeries, she said, adding that PAWS and Hi-Line Spay Neuter Clinic is in need of volunteers.

"We are encouraging people to sign up early," she said. "Once this fills up there is no more room, and we are hoping to get 100 cats done that day."

She said people need to apply for this event. Applications can be found at Eastside Animal Hospital in Havre or at Hi-Line Spay Neuter Clinic's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hlsnclinic or call 301-4356 for applications or for any other questions about the clinic.

Friends of the Havre Animal Shelter President Kim Federspiel said its spay-neuter clinic in Havre is tentatively set for a date in May.

"Right now, we have a clinic once a year. We pay for two vet teams to come in and over a two-day clinic we fix 60 dogs and 100 cats," she said. "Along with the clinic, we offer a spay-neuter assistance program year-round.

She said she opens reservations for appointments a few weeks before the actual clinic. Once she has enough reservations, she schedules them into appointment times and calls each person with their time and any information they need before surgery.

The actual surgery for cats is up to 10 minutes and for dogs is up to 20 minutes, however, each animal is different and sometimes surgery can run longer or shorter, Federspiel said. Once the animals are out of surgery, they are taken to a recovery area where the owners and volunteers will monitor them as they wake up. When an animal is cleared, the owner can take it home along with after-care instructions.

She said the program tries to accommodate as many people as possible, with the year-round assistance program, and people are urged to keep checking even if they don't get preference for a reservation spot.

"If you don't make it into the clinic, we also have a waitlist for cancellations and no-shows," Federspiel said.

Hewitt said having cats spayed or neutered is an important process and an important thing to know is that one cat and her babies in a year can produce 180 kittens because at four months they can reproduce. 

That introduces problems up and down the board, she said, adding that the clinic is trying to get ahead of that with spay-neuter clinics.

The problem can extend beyond spaying and neutering, she said.

"If nobody is vaccinating those animals that introduces the potential for disease that can infect the cat you were really responsible for," Hewitt said.

Hewitt said the problem isn't that cats are roaming, the problem is that those cats aren't spayed.

The cats-only clinic in Chinook will be held April 25 with check-in starting at 8 a.m. in the Commercial Building on Blaine County Fairgrounds. The cost is $45 per cat, which pays for spaying or neutering, rabies vaccines, distemper vaccine, ear mite treatment, and ear notching.

Ear mite treatment will be given to the stray and feral cats, she added

Federspiel said spaying and neutering can be done year round,

"Kitten season seems to be for us in early spring and fall, she said "This is typically when we see the most kittens, however, kittens can have their heat cycle as early as five months of age and can breed year-round. Puppy season seems, again, to us heavier in the winter, however, a female dog goes into heat twice a year, and can have two litters a year."

In the two-day Havre clinic they are treat 60 dogs and 100 cats, she said, adding that the spaying and neutering is beneficial for the female animals because constant breeding can shorten an animal's life, as well as cause health problems.

Federspiel said Friends also offers low-cost vaccinations that are a walk-in service, so the organization sees more animals than the 160 being fixed in the spring.

She said the event has widespread support from organizations and businesses.

"The clinic is a success due to the community," she said.

The spaying and neutering is free at the Friends clinic with vaccinations $10 for an annual booster shot or a rabies shot or $15 for both.