It was the week of Valentine’s Day and the Aloha Animal Oasis team showed up at the Old Airport Pavillion on the Big Island of Hawaii bright and early to set up for a Spay and Neuter Clinic. Like all the clinics, this one proved to be a busy day full of helping 89 adorable cats brought in by amazing volunteers to be spayed or neutered. A joyful reunion and a litter of kittens, however, made the February spay and neuter clinic one that will hold a special place in our hearts.
We knew today would be different when the Aloha Animal Oasis president, John, brought in a cat he found on his property. Her ear was not tipped, which usually indicates that a cat has not been spayed or neutered. After the kitty was sedated and her tummy shaved, everyone was surprised to discover that she not only had a microchip, but also a spay scar!
We did some research and quickly discovered that the microchip was registered but the owner’s data was private. Fortunately, the chip company assured us that they would pass our contact information on to the cat’s owner. Shortly after, we received a phone call from the owner and told her that her cat had turned up at our clinic. We learned that her cat had been missing for about a month!
The owner was so relieved and overjoyed that she came to the clinic with her husband and daughter to be reunited with their long lost pet. Before taking their fur baby home, they asked to meet the man that had taken such good care of their kitty and got to thank John in person. Once again, a microchip helped bring a lost cat home.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pavilion, a neighborhood trap king got more than he bargained for when the cat he trapped to have spayed gave birth in the trap. There he stood at check in, with a carrier full of four kittens and one perplexed mama. The vets informed us that we could still spay her, but at a later date.
For the time being, mama needed to be with her newborns… and the whole little family needed a safe place to lay low until then. Although one of our volunteers, Natalie, was already fostering a little kitten named Clementine, she was happy to foster the new Mom and her babies, and bring the mama to a clinic when it was time for her to be spayed.
At Aloha Animal Oasis, we never know what we’re in for when we offer our Spay and Neuter clinics. Sometimes we just meet some incredible members of the community while improving life for our island’s cats. And sometimes, we get to witness a family reuniting with their cat, and a mama and her kittens finding a loving foster home.
What we’re certain of is this: Microchip’s work, ear tipping is always a good idea as it indicates that a cat is part of a Trap Neuter Return (TNR) program (and might even be someone’s pet!), and TNR is a humane and effective way to substantially shrink the Big Island’s free-roaming cat population.
Through TNR, community cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated. Then, they are returned to their outdoor homes where they can live out their lives without the suffering that non-sterilized cats frequently experience, including endless litters of kittens and various types of cancer. TNR can end the cycle of producing new litters of kittens, reducing the burden on animal shelters and animal control agencies, and saving tax dollars in the process.
While hundreds of communities have adopted official TNR ordinances and policies, our island does not have any government-driven TNR programs. That’s why the work that Aloha Animal Oasis is doing is so critical— It is entirely volunteer-led and dependent on public donations to continue.
Ready to help a community cat in your neighborhood by bringing them to a Spay and Neuter Clinic? Aloha Animal Oasis offers “Pay What You Can” Spay and Neuter Clinics for the public. Traps can be borrowed from Aloha Animal Oasis as part of the reservation process – When you click on the booking link, you’ll be prompted to indicate how many traps you need to borrow, if any. And since space is limited, reservations are required!
The next clinics are scheduled for March 30th, March 31st, April 20th, and April 21st, so help make a difference for our island’s cats by reserving a spot today.
