PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic

08/23/2024

Dr. Hanson stepped up to be our premise vet after our previous premise vet, Dr. Vinson, passed away. This gave us the opportunity to reopen our Clinic after 6 months of being closed.

Dr. Hanson has been a cherished member of the animal rescue community for a long time, as many of you may know. This loss will be felt deeply by everyone that worked side by side with her, and by all who work toward improving the lives and welfare of animals that would otherwise go unnoticed. Dr. Hanson made our work possible, and for that we are profoundly and eternally grateful.

Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of our own, Dr. Suzanne Hanson, who passed away this week. Dr. Hanson received her veterinary degree from UC Davis and went on to open her own practice here in Chico, Animal Health Care Practice. She joined Mangrove Hospital a few years later and then became a part of Valley Oak Veterinary Center in 2011. Dr. Hanson was an incredible veterinarian and skilled surgeon. She was a dedicated mentor to new veterinarians as well as a passionate advocate for our community serving tirelessly with the City of Chico and Northwest SPCA. Dr. Hanson’s legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched and her unwavering commitment to veterinary medicine. Her absence is already deeply felt and she will be profoundly missed as a colleague, a mentor and a dear friend.

08/19/2024

The pictures don't do this weekend any justice whatsoever. The first couple of photos are from our lobby because both of our intake rooms were full today. The rest of the pictures are from the two very full intake rooms, and one sweet boy resting comfortably with his little stuffie. We did an intake of 37 (!!) cats today, three of which were already spayed. When that happens, we make sure they are in good health, given vaccines, a microchip, and flea treatment. So all told we did 34 spays and neuters today. That was just today.

Yesterday we did an intake of 27 cats, one of which was already spayed, so a total of 26 spays and neuters were performed.

Which brings our weekend total to: 60 spays and neuters! Wowza!

Thank you to the kind, compassionate, and dedicated veterinarians who performed surgeries this weekend: Dr. Thompson and Dr. Darling! ❤️

And of course, thank you to our incredible staff and volunteers who help keep our beloved clinic running like a well-oiled machine. 🐱

Peep the comments for a video from one of the intake rooms today, where all the cats were swapping war stories and plotting their escapes.

A "catcophony", if you will.

/sorrynotsorry

08/16/2024

PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic is looking for experienced Vet Assistants!

If you have a passion for spaying and neutering as many stray and feral cats as possible, while providing top-notch veterinary care, get in touch with us!

We are only open on the weekends so this position does require weekend availability. You do not have to work every weekend as we have other assistants on staff that rotate shifts.

We are looking for hard-working, caring individuals with excellent attention to detail and flexible availability.

If you're interested, send your resume to [email protected]. We hope to hear from you soon!

Please share as well! Meow!

08/05/2024

It's been over a month since our last post, but that doesn't mean we've been slacking off! Last month, we (quietly) celebrated surpassing 1,000 spays/neuters at our Clinic, and as of today we are at 1,165!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention one of the most important aspects of TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) and of our spay/neuter clinic ... VACCINES!

We applied and were approved for FVRCP vaccines through the Petco Love program. Being given the opportunity to vaccinate more cats has been such a huge benefit to our community cats. We are proud to be a and want all community cats to be .

Thank you, Petco!

06/25/2024

Over the weekend, our clinic performed 54 spays and neuters. 32 Saturday, 22 Sunday. We also got to see a former wound patient for a checkup, which is coming along nicely thanks to his loving foster Mom (Carole Foley). We also helped untangle some neonates from their umbilical cord.

We had two big tom's come in too - one clocking in at 12.9 lbs, the other 13.6 lbs. All muscle.

06/12/2024

Want to volunteer your time with a spay/neuter clinic in Chico that is making a huge difference in the lives of stray and feral cats? Look no further!

We are in need of help, mostly in the front of house, where we do intake in the morning (on Sundays usually, occasionally Saturdays), recovery (watching cats as they come out of surgery), some cleaning, laundry, etc.

We also need people in the afternoon, who also help in recovery, cleanup, laundry, and helping people when they pick up their cats.

You will be on your feet, always busy, and you'll be right in the middle of the action. Oh yeah, and there's CATS! Sometimes there are even kittens! 😻

If you're interested, or know someone who might be, please fill out our volunteer application here: https://www.pawprintsclinic.org/ #/ (hit the 'volunteer' link at the top)

Make sure you select 'Front' when the question "Do you want to volunteer in the front, or in the back?" comes up.

Please share! Our mission is important and we could use the help.

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We are also looking for Vet Assistants! If you'd like to be considered for a paid position, please email your resume to [email protected]. You must be professionally trained in this field to qualify.
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PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic is a program under the Companion Animal Welfare Alliance non-profit umbrella. Other programs included are: Neighborhood Cat Advocates PawPrints Thrift Boutique...

06/11/2024

Some pictures from last weekend. In the first picture, you can clearly see where milk is present under this mama's skin! The lighter parts are where the milk is; the darker spot is just dried up!

We also helped an already spayed, already microchipped older stray cat by removing a bad tooth. She also got some fluids, flea treatment, rabies vaccine, and even some brushing to get some burrs and mats out.

Finally was a tom cat with a big ol' battle wound. He's recovering at a trapper's house before coming back for a checkup and then released back to his old neighborhood.

Never a dull moment! We love sending these cats out in better shape than they came in. ❤️

05/20/2024

05/13/2024

A warning to those with sensitive stomachs - these pictures are not easy to look at.

One of the unfortunate aspects of cats who call the outdoors their home is that they sometimes encounter health issues that an everyday housecat could potentially be treated for. In this case, a severe case of something called Plasma Cell Pododermatitis ("Pillow Foot").

We originally thought this poor cat's foot pad had been ripped away from her foot somehow, because we could only catch glimpses of it from a distance. However, once she was anesthetized, it became painfully clear just how bad her condition was.

This poor thing, if not for the care of the person that first spotted her, would've undoubtedly died outside because of these painful feet of hers. As you can see, she also developed ulcers on her face, and upon examining her abdomen, the veterinarian on staff felt unusual lumps. We made the decision to humanely euthanize her, which is never an easy choice.

We wanted to share this as a reminder that cats outdoors, although generally able to adapt and live happily and healthily, don't always end up that lucky. If you see a kitty that needs medical attention, please don't ignore them. You may be the angel that little kitty needs.

05/09/2024

Ear tipping saves lives!

We often hear from people who don't want their neighborhood stray or feral cat ear tipped. We think a lot of this is related to lack of education on the subject, so we came up with this handy guide explaining the process and the why behind it!

Long story short - ear tipping saves lives!

05/08/2024

Interested in volunteering at PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic and being part of this vital community service? Fill out our volunteer application here: https://form.jotform.com/241266633421047

Most questions will be answered by visiting the link, but if you have questions that are not on the form, please ask them here.

We would love to have you join us!

Please click the link to complete this form.

05/06/2024

21 spays and neuters performed today. We had our second biggest cat come in at a whopping 14 lbs! We just love the big tom cats with their big fat cheeks. (Pictured with vet assistant Briana here).

We've been fortunate enough to have volunteers that are training in veterinary medicine (RVT's and Vet Assistants). Our Clinic gives them the experience they need to excel in their schooling! (New volunteer Estefania in the fourth picture, drawing up vaccines).

We also had a new volunteer join us in the front, where intake, recovery, checkout, and cleanup happens. We rely on our volunteers in so many ways. We'll soon be sharing a link so you can sign up to help us do this incredibly important work. Stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, thanks to all of our amazing volunteers for everything they do for the cats of this community. 😻🐈🐾🐱

05/05/2024

Can you guys guess what this object is? First one to guess gets a free feral cat. Kidding. But also not kidding.

04/29/2024

What a weekend. On Saturday we did 26 spays & neuters despite being short-staffed. Our volunteers really stepped up to the plate and got some real life clinic experience! We made it through thanks to our amazing staff and volunteers.

On Sunday we did 23 spays and neuters (two additional cats were seen; one for a head wound [already neutered by us last year], one was already spayed). Several cats on Sunday had injuries and bites, requiring wound care and sutures. And thank goodness for Convenia!!

One smol kitten came in and was promptly handed off to a Neighborhood Cat Advocates foster.

Here are some pictures and a bonus video in the comments.

04/23/2024

We have some exciting news to share ...

We applied for the California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Pet Lover's License Plate Program grant, and we were one of SEVEN organizations selected to receive this year's grant!!

This means that our Clinic will be able to help more individuals spay/neuter free-roaming cats in our local communities. This gives us even more opportunity to keep costs down in a time when vet costs are going nowhere but up. We know people are struggling right now, and the last thing we want to do is turn someone away because they can't afford to spay or neuter a stray cat. We want less kittens, not more!

We are so excited and so grateful for the opportunity to spay and neuter more cats. This is HUGE for us.

If you're interested in obtaining your own Pet Lover's License Plate, visit http://petloversplate.com/.

For more information about the grant, visit https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/SpayNeuter/.

Big props to Armeda Ferrini for her hard work on this grant.

03/26/2024

If you're in the Redding area and want assistance with ferals, check this out!

🐱 Don't miss out on our Feral Fiesta Spay/Neuter Day this Thursday! 😸

Got unaltered feral cats? Bring them to Haven bright and early Thursday morning for our well-loved Feral Fiesta Day. Limit: 5 cats per household. Remember, they MUST be in a wire cat trap.

➡️ Get all the details here: https://www.havenhumane.org/trap-neuter-release-program
📞 Call us at (530) 241-1658

03/25/2024

Some pictures from today's clinic. Don't you just wanna reach in and squeeze those big fat cheeks?!

Thirty-three spays and neuters were performed today. Almost all of the females were pregnant. It was a very, very long day.

We have an amazing, incredible, patient staff that put up with the endless parade of cats we brought in today. The pregnant cats make things that much harder. We can't thank them enough. THANK YOU.

And to the volunteers who are there before the staff arrive, who get things ready for the day ahead, and who stay late to clean up and make sure all the kitties are taken care of and sent home safely, THANK YOU.

It's hard work and we could not do it alone.

(But seriously, those cheeks!!)

03/20/2024

No pictures from this weekend. Just a simple number: 31.

In our line of work, we see a lot of pregnant cats come in. Especially this time of year.

31 represents the number of kittens that were not born because of our efforts this weekend. Those 31 kittens would've been born into a world of extremes: extreme elements, extreme danger, extreme hunger. Most kittens don't make it to six months old when born outside.

If they do somehow manage to survive, and if the survivors are females, they can be responsible for the birth of thousands (yes, thousands) of more kittens.

If you struggle with the idea of terminating the pregnancy of a pregnant cat, remember how many lives you are actually saving by making that choice.

Spay and neuter isn't always cuter. Sometimes it's really, really hard to do. But allowing more suffering to happen is even worse.

03/10/2024

One of these is not like the others...

03/04/2024

We did a total of 55 spays and neuters this weekend! Also, our first pre-op blep, some pre-op "trouble puffs", Dr. Darling performing magic, the cutest nose, and our new (to us) autoclave. Last picture is of a big tomcat with a few battle wounds, all cleaned up and ready to show off all the scars to all the chicks he won't impregnate. Good weekend!

02/26/2024

We're still plugging along, saving lives, preventing babies. This weekend we did 57 spays/neuters. Some young, some old ... all making or creating NO babies. We love our work. ❤️

02/13/2024

Are you interested in working in a fast-paced and rewarding spay/neuter clinic? Look no further!

Our spay/neuter clinic is looking for trained Vet Assistants and RVT's to join our team. Things we ask of you:

* Be totally cool with supporting our mission of Trap-Neuter-Return
* Be able to work in a clinic that only does spays/neuters of stray/feral cats, most of whom are brought in traps
* We really, really need folks that are available on the weekends!
* Please have references because we WILL be calling them
* Please be responsive to text messages and emails
* You should definitely like working with cats! Some of them are stinky, flea-ridden, or have open sores or wounds!

Serious inquiries only, please. We'd love some more help and we are looking to expand to being open more than once a week, and that means we need more weekend people.

Did we mention we need more people on the weekends? Also, that we only do cats?

Our goal is to greatly decrease the cat overpopulation in the community of Chico, and you'd be helping us with that goal. When cats come into our clinic, they leave with:

* Spay/Neuter
* Flea Treatment
* Earmite/worm treatment (if needed)
* Wounds treated
* FVRCP and Rabies vaccines
* Microchip

Also: pregnant females (or any cat in need of hydration) are given fluids to help them recover from surgery. All cats are kept warm and cozy after surgery. We do exams and at the end of the day, cats leave our clinic in better shape than when they came in. YOU can help do that and feel good at the end of the day!

Oh yeah, and it's a paying gig! Does it get any better?!

If you're interested in joining our super fun team, please email your resume and references to [email protected].

Meow!

02/04/2024

February is Spay & Neuter Awareness Month! Be sure to get those boys neutered before they’re responsible for dozens of kittens. There’s a reason cat te**es are called “troublepuffs” in some circles. The majority of nuisance cat behaviors can be tracked back to unaltered males: fighting, yowling, wandering, and SPRAYING. Removing their powderpuffs also prevents them from developing testicular cancer later in life.

Spay and Neuter is, in fact, Cuter.

February is Spay & Neuter Awareness Month! Be sure to get those boys neutered before they’re responsible for dozens of kittens. There’s a reason cat te**es are called “troublepuffs” in some circles. The majority of nuisance cat behaviors can be tracked back to unaltered males: fighting, yowling, wandering, and SPRAYING. Removing their powderpuffs also prevents them from developing testicular cancer later in life.

And don’t forget, female cats across the country will soon be going into heat (for those of us in warmer climates, we’re already experiencing this!), so now is the perfect time to get them spayed.

Search online for “low cost spay neuter near me” or go to fixfinder.org to locate a low cost spay/neuter clinic in your area.

01/15/2024

24 cats spayed/neutered at our clinic today. Not as many as last week but we did have a cryptorchid male and a female with a umbilical hernia! Here are some pictures from today's clinic.

Apologies in advance for the close-up of this intact male that came in today but we could not resist! He's not intact anymore!

Want to support our work? Shop at PawPrints Thrift Boutique or donate items you don't need anymore. Our store funds everything we do!

01/08/2024

This weekend we spayed and neutered 34 cats at our clinic! Several were outdoor friendly adolescent cats that we are transferring to another organization for adoption.

The little black kitten in the last picture is in foster and was seen by the vet on duty for conjunctivitis.

What a successful day!

Want to support the work we do? Shop at our thrift store, PawPrints Thrift Boutique at 1360 E. 1st Ave. in Chico. All proceeds from the shop support our mission.

01/05/2024

These are just some of the pictures since we started in March 2023, including a picture of our first feral cat customer! TW: there are some pictures of cats having surgery performed, so if you're squeamish ... DON'T LOOK!

If you'd like to support our mission, the easiest thing you can do is shop at our thrift store, which funds everything we do!

PawPrints Thrift Boutique is located at 1360 E. 1st Ave. in Chico, across from In Motion Fitness. See you there!

01/04/2024

Hello! Here's some general info about us:

PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic is under the umbrella of Companion Animal Welfare Alliance, which is partnered with:
PawPrints Thrift Boutique
Neighborhood Cat Advocates
PawPrints Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (P-SNAP)

We have been posting updates on our Neighborhood Cat Advocates page, but we think it's time for our Clinic to have it's OWN page! So, hello!

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PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic is designated for spays and neuters of free-roaming (stray, feral, community) cats ONLY. We cannot service owned animals. We are simply not set up for it, and we have too many cats already waiting for our help.

If you have stray, feral, or community cats in need of spays/neuters, please get on our waiting list by filling out our online form, which you can find here: