In celebration of this year’s anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, People for Animals’ Robbinsville clinic will help feral cat caregivers in select counties stretch their limited resources by spaying and neutering their feline wards for only $17.76 in July.

This offer is limited to feral cat caregivers residing in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties. In addition to spay/neuter surgery, cats will be given a physical examination, vaccinated against rabies, rhinotracheitis, calici, and panleukopenia, and eartipped. All cats spayed and neutered under this offer are required to be eartipped. Eartipping is the universal sign of a fixed feral cat and involves removing in a straight line approximately a quarter-inch off the tip of the cat’s left ear while the cat is anesthetized for surgery.

A feral cat caregiver is someone who provides adequate food, water and shelter to feral cats on a daily basis and monitors their health. Caregivers do these things for the cats and spay/neuter them using their own money. At times, caregivers apply for and receive grants from charities to spay/neuter feral cats.

According to the ASPCA, feral cats comprise a large percentage of the 4 to 6 million cats euthanized every year in animal shelters in the U.S. In New Jersey, in 2010 (the last year for which data from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services is available), 25,625 cats were euthanized in animal shelters. Twenty-nine percent of those (7,438) were euthanized in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

To take advantage of this offer, eligible caregivers should call (609) 208-3252 or request an appointment online at www.pfaonline.org.