Pet and Wildlife Rescue is doing its part to help keep the cat population in Chatham-Kent in check.
They're offering local residents discounted vouchers to get their cat spayed or neutered.
"There is a limit of five per household, and the cost to the cat owner is $40, the rest is covered by us," said PAWR operations manager Myriam Armstrong. "They would be able to pick from one of the four clinics that are participating in the program, and they also have the option to get a free microchip for their cat."
The vouchers can be used at Merritt Animal Hospital in Chatham, Dresden Veterinary Clinic, Grand Ave Pet Hospital in Chatham and Tilbury Veterinary Hospital.
Armstrong added that the program is open to Chatham-Kent residents only.
"So they can purchase it online and it gets mailed to them within a week. Then they get to pick from one of the clinics that is participating, they contact the clinic, book their own appointment. When they are bringing their cat in for surgery, they bring their voucher with them, and the clinic bills us directly."
The vouchers are good until October 1st, 2021, and PAWR has been fundraising for over a year to offer the program because they cover the difference in cost.
"If you do it locally, it just varies from one clinic to another, but you will not get a spay/neuter for until $100 to $150 minimum.," said Armstrong. "So it's quite the savings, especially if you have more than one cat."
There are only 500 vouchers available, and Armstrong said almost half have already been sold.
"We just know it's probably not going to be enough for all that is needed out there. Just to put it in perspective, in the last two days we've taken in over 60 cats at the shelter, so we know there's still many cats that need to be fixed."
You can purchase a voucher in person at Pet and Wildlife Rescue on Park Ave East in Chatham., or online at www.pawr.org.
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