How Cats Qualify for the no-cost Feral Fix Program

This is to determine if a cat is eligible for the East Bay SPCA’s Feral Cat Fix program, which provides spay/neuter surgery for feral cats at no cost  to the caretaker. Testing and vaccinations are available for a small fee if desired.

Cat Must Be Feral—What Does That Mean?

• For our purposes, “feral” means a cat who lives in the wild and cannot be handled by people and must be trapped. The cat must come to the clinic in the trap. If the cat doesn’t have to be trapped, but can instead be picked up and placed in a carrier, it is not considered feral and is therefore ineligible for no-cost surgery. Please see our spay and neuter section for information on affordable surgery.
• If a cat has a collar, it is owned and will not be eligible.
  In both cases, the surgery would be at regular cost.

Is Cat Over 4 Months?

Cats that are young enough to be tamed, can become adoptable. Therefore, if a cat is found under 4 months, then the spay or neuter surgery can be performed but it must be at our regular rates. Again, see our spay and neuter section for information on surgery for adoptable cats. 

Kittens at 5-6 weeks old are good candidates for taming and becoming adoptable. 12 weeks old is often too late.

Other Eligibility Requirements:

• The cat’s ear cannot already be notched. This may mean it has already been altered. If a cat comes in with what appears to be a notched ear, the veterinarian will verify that the cat has already been altered. Note: all cats altered under the Feral Fix Program will have their right ear notched.
• A sick cat cannot be neutered because of risks with the anesthesia. For a successful surgery, the cat must be visibly healthy the day of the operation.

What to Do if You’ve Trapped An Owned Cat?

• If you accidentally trap a cat who has a collar with an ID tag, call the owner to let them know that you’ve found their cat. If the cat is unaltered, stress the importance of spaying and neutering all pets, especially those who go outdoors, in your conversation with the owner.
• If you cannot reach the owner, post “found cat” notices in the neighborhood, and please bring the cat to a shelter or vet clinic to have him scanned for a microchip. If the animal were microchipped, that would be another way to trace an owner.
• Fill out a “found report” at the animal control agency in the city where you found the cat. This will help the owner who comes to that facility to look for their cat.
• If the owned cat is not handleable and you cannot keep him in your home or garage while you try to trace an owner, another option is simply attaching a note to his collar and returning the cat to the area where you found him. The note could just say something like, “please call me regarding this cat” and leave your number. Returning him to the area where you trapped him should only be considered if the animal has already been fixed and is a self-sufficient feral.
• If the animal hasn’t been fixed yet and you cannot contact the owner, you can consider having the cat altered at your own expense, if that’s feasible for you. There is little that an owner could do legally if they are upset that someone else altered their cat.

What to Do if You’ve Trapped An Ineligible Cat?

You might accidentally trap a friendly, social, yet homeless cat! If the cat is a stray cat, that you can handle, you have a few options:

• You can still have him spayed or neutered at the East Bay SPCA, but it will be at your own expense and the cat will not quality for our free feral spay/neuter program.
• You can surrender the cat to a municipal shelter. There are no guarantees, but if the cat is friendly, he’s a good adoption candidate. The local animal control will accept all found animals in that city and they do not require any proof of ownership.
• Other shelters and rescue groups have different surrender criteria, so if there are other groups you’d like to try to work with to place the cat, please contact them directly. Many people are surprised to learn that all shelters do not have the same animal intake policies!