Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League provided a record-breaking 669 community cats with free spay/neuter surgery in just a single day on Saturday, June 8, 2024. The organization’s first TNVR (Trap Neuter Vaccinate Return) Spay Day of the year has made a huge impact on the lives of outdoor cats and preventing pet overpopulation. TNVR is a program in which free-roaming cats are humanely trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated for rabies and other feline viruses, left ear-tipped, and then returned to their outdoor homes.
This huge community TNVR Spay Day involved 176 staff and volunteers working together to help as many cats as possible! It was truly a group effort with 10 veterinarians and 12 veterinary students working alongside support staff to perform the life-saving surgeries. The medical team included staff from Peggy Adams and veterinarians, veterinary students, and veterinary technicians from The University of Florida, Clematis Animal Clinic, Newberry Animal Hospital, Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG), Banfield Pet Hospital, and ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospital. Also working alongside Peggy Adams’ staff were 75 volunteers, including groups from The Breakers and Americorps, who helped at stations across the event, including check-in, surgery prep, instrument sterilization, cat & trap organization, recovery, and more.
The teamwork doesn’t end there – countless trappers from all over Palm Beach County worked hard to humanely trap as many cats as possible over two days. This diverse group included over 100 first-time and veteran trappers who dropped off their community cats for surgeries and then returned the cats safely back to where they were found.
“Thanks to everyone who participated in this significant TNVR Spay Day,” said Sue Berry, CEO of Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. “Completing 669 spay/neuter surgeries on community cats was a tremendous feat and will have a long-lasting impact on the lives of many free-roaming cats in Palm Beach County, by controlling population growth and slowing the flood of homeless kittens into our shelters.”
TNVR has been shown to be the least costly, most effective, and humane way of stabilizing and decreasing community cat populations. This program is particularly important right now because Kitten Season is in full swing here in South Florida. This unique time occurs from early spring through late fall when cats give birth to countless kittens. Kitten Season creates a strain on shelters, including Peggy Adams, due to the hundreds of newborn and young kittens coming into their programs.
The next scheduled Spay Day event is on September 28, 2024. For more information about TNVR, future spay day events, fostering animals in need, and to donate to help fund these services, please visit PeggyAdams.org.
