The Surrey Community Cat Coalition announced its receipt of a new $10,000 grant from PetSmart Charities of Canada, one of the nation’s leading funders of animal welfare, to help fuel its spay and neuter efforts in Surrey. With the help of this donation, the organization will offer free spay and neuter surgeries for cats in low income households in Surrey.
The grant will provide enough funding to cover the veterinary costs associated with approximately 100 spay/neuter procedures. The procedures will be provided, free of charge, to pet parents who may not otherwise be able to afford to provide this care to their feline friends. Interested pet parents will be asked to complete an application form, and eligibility for this program is based on an income scale.
“PetSmart Charities of Canada is pleased to provide this grant to support the Surrey Community Cat Coalition’s strategy to reduce cat overpopulation in Surrey. Together, we’re making spay and neuter surgeries more accessible and affordable to all pet parents,” says Dani Mailing, Regional Relationship Manager, PetSmart Charities of Canada.
The Surrey Community Cat Coalition estimates that 2,000 homeless and abandoned cats and kittens are rescued in Surrey each year—and that does not reflect the actual number of stray, feral, or homeless cats that may be living on the streets and in the community.
“We know from the popularity of our spay/neuter program that cat owners who earn low incomes often want to spay/neuter their pets but cannot afford the surgery,” says Lubna Ekramoddoullah, Executive Director, Surrey Community Cat Coalition. “Since our program started in 2016, we have helped more than 250 families spay and neuter 375 cats. We are grateful for the grant from PetSmart Charities of Canada, which will enable us to help more families and more cats—and ultimately reduce the number of homeless cats in our region.”
For more information or to apply for spay/neuter services, Surrey residents can visit our Spay/Neuter Program page or call 778-859-8552.
PetSmart Charities of Canada aims to proactively prevent pet homelessness by supporting spay and neuter efforts. With the help of animal welfare partners, such as the Surrey Community Cat Coalition, PetSmart Charities of Canada has facilitated more than 54,000 spay and neuter surgeries in the Canada since 1999.