Halifax group helps people with low incomes spay or neuter their cats

In honour of World Spay Day, Spay Day HRM helped people with low incomes get their cats spayed or neutered on Tuesday.

The group, described as a charity on its website, helps people throughout the year get cats fixed, but there has been a greater push this month, according to member Lesley Coolen.

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About 25 cats were fixed each year for the past three World Spay Days, with the procedures being done both on the day as well as those prior to the annual event. This year, the group was able to get 81 cats fixed, she said.

“We’re ecstatic with those numbers and hope to keep climbing each year,” Coolen said over the phone.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're ecstatic with those numbers and hope to keep climbing each year," Coolen said over the phone.

The prior years focused on people who live in public housing. This year, the group also helped cat owners from the Indian Brook First Nation.

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Tantallon Veterinary Hospital was one of two facilities providing spaying and neutering operations at a lower cost for the group for the day.

“The benefits of getting your cat spayed is it prevents unwanted litters. It also helps to prevent certain types of cancers; in particular, mammory gland cancer, which is very common in intact females that haven’t been spayed. And, thirdly, it reduces something called pyometra,” said Dr. Heather Mosher, the owner of the hospital.

Coolen said PetSmart Charities of Canada helped the group pay for the operations with a grant.