News
A Spay to Remember
April 01, 2009, 7:45PM MT
By Jennifer S Hayes
Ribbon snip commemorates 25,000th sterilization surgery at FixNation
Ribbon snip commemorates 25,000th sterilization surgery at FixNation
By John Polis, Best Friends staff
How appropriate that the year of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary, FixNation performed their 25,000th sterilization surgery, helping to pave the way to the time when there will be No More Homeless Pets. Best Friends helped FixNation get its start and still provides support to the country’s only full-time spay/neuter clinic devoted primarily to homeless cats.
Saying “it's about doing right by our animals,” Los Angeles city councilman Tony Cardenas commended the work of FixNation/Catnippers as they celebrated this momentous occasion.
(Councilman Cardenas addresses the crowd)
Jody Slater, a longtime cat caregiver who represented all the caregivers who contributed to making 25,000 fixes possible, conducted the ceremonial snip of the scissors on a bright orange ribbon.
Amid the fanfare and guests of honor, another six dozen spay/neuter operations on feral cats took place in the clinic’s surgical facility, which averages about 65 per day.
Cardenas thanked FixNation founders Mark Dodge and Karn Myers for their “partnership with an entire community.”
“It's not just about people, it's about doing right by our animals,” he said. “There are so many homeless cats and dogs out there because for too long we’ve not done enough. Let's continue to work together and do what's right.”
(The lucky feral kitty #25,000)
Cardenas and fellow city councilman Richard Alarcon, who also attended the ceremony, are longtime supporters of progressive animal welfare laws and spoke with passion about defending the city’s spay/neuter voucher program.
“FixNation is to be congratulated and we want to encourage you in your work,” said Alarcon, sponsor of the original mandatory spay/neuter proposal for Los Angeles’ city government.
“We want to keep the voucher program and... we will fight to make that happen. As a team, we can create synergy to overcome current economic situation and can get control of animal over-population.”
Cardenas added, “The spay/neuter voucher program will not be taken away. Mandatory spay/neuter is the right thing to do and low-cost voucher program is necessary to make this happen.”
Although the clinic has reached a milestone in the two years it’s been in existence, there still is much work to do, according to FixNation president Mark Dodge.
“More than one million homeless cats are still living and breeding in Los Angeles,” he said. “Cats comprise more than 70 percent of the animals euthanized in shelters. We will be relentless as we push for high-volume spay/neuter programs, public education and community outreach programs.
“FixNation services are free—and they must remain free in order for the program to work. Therefore we need donations; but as with any successful endeavor, there are many individuals and organizations that contribute in different ways.”
(From left to right: Jody Slater-caregiver of 25,000th fixed cat, Karn Myers-FixNation founder, Francis Conroy-actress holding friendly kitty, and Mark Dodge-FixNation founder)
Dodge introduced Liz Cava, who was involved in the original start-up of Best Friends Catnippers, the precursor to FixNation, as well as Kimberly Senn, another key member of the FixNation team.
Elizabeth Oreck, manager of Best Friends’ Los Angeles Programs, mentioned other successes on behalf of feral cats nationwide, including Feral Freedom, the groundbreaking program in Jacksonville, Florida. “We feel that programs like these, including FixNation, are models that can become a national standard.”
Cardenas, who in the past has shown no hesitation about taking on establishment thinking on animal welfare, said, “I am here today because I’m impressed with what you are doing here. As long as I have the capacity to follow what I think needs to be done (in the area of animal welfare), then I will do that. If the voters tell me no (in an election), then I will still be doing something to help animals.”
Alarcon, with his one-year-old daughter, Camilla, in his arms at the microphone, said he hopes she will always learn to be kind to animals.
(Councilman Alarcon holding Camilla)
“The notion of a no-kill city will be passé by time she's old enough to understand what that means,” he said. “We passed the mandatory spay/neuter bill as a matter of faith. The people of Los Angeles stepped forward and made it known that's what they wanted.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
? Help support the TNR (trap/neuter/return) effort and free sterilization services provided by FixNation. Donations can be made online or people interested in becoming volunteering should contact Karn Myers at karn@fixnation.org.
FixNation, Inc.
P.O. Box 26
Woodland Hills, CA 91365
? Learn more about how you can help community cats in your area by joining the Feral Cat Campaign on the Best Friends Network.
? As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.
For More Information
• Fix Nation Launches in Los Angeles
• FixNation Built It, And They Came!
Photo credit: taken by Robert Valenzuela and Shelly Kotter
Posted by Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends staff