Peace Animals does a lot of free spay and neuter clinics, and recently they set one up in my neighborhood from September 1-4. So, of course, we had to visit them.
We had been looking forward to them coming to our neighborhood for some time. There are a lot of homeless cats around my neighborhood that will come to my house to eat the food we put out for own cats, but I see these stray cats pregnant time after time again, and there are more and more stray cats that are continuing to breed.
So, I put out a big cage my mom had built in the past, I put some cat food in it, and once the stray cats that needed to be spayed were in it, I would close the door and trap them. At least, that was my plan, because the cats would run out before I was able to get close enough to close the door, and then they learned from that and wouldn’t even get near the cage. So then the only thing I could do was slowly go up to the cats, lure them with affection, and try my best to catch them. I got a few scratches and bites from that, but I finally had them! So, I put them in the cage and kept them there overnight, since they aren’t supposed to eat or drink for 12 hours before surgery.
My mom and I woke up a little after 6:00 the next morning, had a little breakfast, and were on our way to get to the Peace Clinic by 7:00 am, as it’s recommended, since lines will start up early. We went up, put the cats in kennels, and waited to sign the forms. In the mean while, we saw dog after dog, big and small, and cats too, being put into kennels to prepare for surgery. There were so many, and Peace was going to spay and neuter all of them. And this is just in one day in a rural neighborhood. They do this 4 or 5 times a week in different neighborhoods throughout Banderas Bay.
However, there are very seldom options for setting up their clinic in more convenient downtown locations due to the lack of available space. They would be very happy, and be able to serve a lot more people in need of their service, if someone could step up to the plate and donate some space for these folks who so generously give their time and caring. The space they used this week was about 1,000, maybe 1,200 square feet, not a huge amount of space, so that is what they would need. They only need the space for 4 or 5 mornings of one week on a rotating schedule that brings them back about once every 2 months or so.
Later in the day we went to pick up the two cats, and we saw surgeries in progress happening at the moment, as well as animals being shaved, and cats being massaged back to consciousness. It was advised to keep the cats contained and clean for long enough for the incision to heal, so we made a sheltered space for them in the only safe space we had where they couldn’t get away, on the roof. That way we were able to use the cage to gather some more of the stray cats from their last litter, now about 7 months old, before they get pregnant.
The next day we brought in the only cat we could catch, left a donation, and we were about to leave, but we noticed that they needed some help, so we stayed and volunteered. What we were doing was rubbing and petting both cats and dogs, though there were more cats, and helping them regain consciousness. We also had to take their temperature, heart rate, and amount of breaths per minute, just to make sure they were ok. After a little bit the rest of the owners who were there started helping as well, and two older women who are repeatedly volunteering showed up as well. Also, we found out that the vets are paid 150 pesos per animal, and about 250 for supplies! So, Peace is spending about 400 pesos per surgery!
And, Peace is doing all of this to help you, your pets, and to help the pet population problem in your community, so if you visit them please leave a donation. Or go online and send them one. It really is incredible how much they do, especially considering they are doing it 4 or 5 days a week, every week. And even if your pets are already spayed or neutered, maybe you could help someone else by encouraging them to go to the free clinic or even offering them a ride. Or for the benefit of your entire neighborhood, if there are some strays running around, scoop ‘em up and bring them down. If they aren’t catchable then you can tie a string to a cage door, put a tantalizing snack inside, and once the animal gets in you can slam it shut, without getting near and scaring the dog or cat away.
Here is their website and Facebook page, and I hope many of you will send a donation or use their service to help the pet population. Thank you!!
https://www.facebook.com/PeaceAnimals/
And here is this week's clinic: