We’re In A Fix!! A Guest Blog By FixNation

It wasn’t that long ago when feral, homeless and stray cats roamed the streets of Los Angeles without the possibility of much help. We like to think we changed that when we opened our doors in 2007. As a non-profit with a singular focus – all cats to make less cats – FixNation (www.fixnation.org) has been working like a dog (!) to help reduce cat over-population.

"Greta"

 If you’re a cat lover, you know there are way too many cats out there already. Cats without homes, without love but with the ability to keep making more homeless and feral cats. Our mission is to trap, neuter (or spay) and return cats to their homes in order to hopefully make their lives better. It’s a program we call TNR (http://fixnation.org/programs/faqs/) and it’s been incredibly successful, literally “fixing” tens of thousands of cats over the last few years and preventing hundreds of thousands more.

We do it all at our clinic staffed with veterinarians, vet techs, and other volunteers who are dedicated to helping cats. When someone in the community traps (humanely of course) a cat and brings it to us, we also make sure it’s healthy, providing pain medication, vaccinations, and any emergency medical services needed including wound care. A typical day sees up to 80 cats come through our doors. In addition to spaying and neutering, we also ”eartip” (http://fixnation.org/programs/faqs/) those to be released back onto the streets so we know who’s been fixed and who still needs fixing.

Sometimes cats that are obviously pets are brought to us as well, friendly and scared cats who once lived in homes, and we do everything we can to help reunite lost pets with lost parents if they are microchipped or to find new homes through willing rescue organizations. We love what we do, because we know in our hearts that we’re helping. Homeless, stray and feral cats can often lead scary lives on the streets. While many can’t be domesticated, most can be made healthier. And healthier is safer.

Our services are mostly free. (All services are free for homeless and feral cats.)  To spay or neuter a companion cat, we do charge a small fee but it’s one that provides a big help to other cats. We love what we do and we welcome all cats and kittens into our clinic so that we eliminate suffering and dying on the streets and in shelters by eliminating the possibility of cats reproducing.

During this spring season, kittens are in bloom. While everyone loves kittens, kittens do tend to become cats. That means a real possibility of adding more and more homeless cats to already over-burdened streets and that isn’t good for anyone, most of all the cats. We actually see kittens themselves, some just a few months old, who are already having kittens. It’s a problem we’d like to fix with the help of the community.

If you see a homeless or feral cat and can bring it to our free clinic to get fixed, you’ll be helping us help the cats. Remember, it starts with just one.

FixNation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that operates full-time in Los Angeles.  If you’d like to learn more about FixNation’s programs visit www.fixnation.org.  Click here to make a donation to help homeless cats. (https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1003397&code=Main%20Website%20Button)