A Community Spay Program That Made A Big Difference For Our Little Cat

The Agriculture Department of our town in San Remigio initiated a free neuter and spay program for local people who have dogs and cats, as part of their monthly programs to control and promote a healthy population of dogs and cats in the town. We saw it on a post from one of their social media pages, and thought of availing the free service, because we were also planning to have Cali, my boyfriend's cat, spayed, and it would cost us an expensive charge if we got her spayed in a veterinary clinic. We took the chance to have her spayed and scanned the general requirements to be qualified for the free service and get some slots.

On the instruction, it said that Cali must be a Pusang Pinoy (no purebred pets), must be 8 months to 5 years old since she is a female, must be fully vaccinated with anti-rabies, not pregnant/lactating, must be healthy, and make sure the cat has fasted for at least 10 hours prior to surgery. We were appropriate for the service, hence we decided to reserve a slot which we successfully acquired.

The program took place from 8 o'clock in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. There were plenty of dogs and cats at the covered court in the neighboring town where the program took place. And Cali was catered late because we arrived late.

Spaying and neutering pets is really a responsible step for us fur parents. It helps prevent unwanted pets, reduces the number of stray animals in the community, and protects pets from certain health risks and infections. Programs like this make a big difference in our community because they make responsible pet care more accessible to ordinary families like us, who couldn't afford a private surgery.

Here is Cali’s status after the surgery: she was unconscious but woke up after an hour, but still couldn’t stand up, so we waited another hour and a half before we put her again in her pet bag. She was looking like a drunk cat from a party, but it is a normal side effect after sedation. She wanted to stand up and crawl but couldn’t move her body properly, so we always held her so she wouldn’t put pressure on her stitches.

Afterwards, we headed to our favorite MilkTea cafe to eat dinner and move Cali out from that place that kept her distressed. We were hesitant to go to the cafe at first because Cali might not be allowed inside since we were not sure if the cafe is pet-friendly, but the kind staff allowed us since Cali was in her bag and there were no customers at that time.

Here is Cali in the cafe, and she was a bit curious about where she was and what was happening, but still couldn’t think thoroughly because she was still under the side effects of sedation.

We ordered two sizzling chicken meals and our favorite side dish, mac and cheese, for our dinner, and had water instead of sweet drinks because we have been consuming sweets more often than not these days. I was thinking of eating Chicken Ala King, but they ran out of stock, so I ordered the said food instead.

It was a long and tiring day, but a meaningful one. From securing a slot, preparing Cali, waiting through the procedure, and watching her slowly recover, everything felt worth it knowing she is now safer and healthier. Small decisions like this may seem simple, but they create a good impact not only for our pets, but for the whole community too.