Ohio Spay/Neuter Connection

The goal of Ohio Spay/Neuter Connection is to eliminate the euthanasia of healthy and treatable cats and dogs by reducing the pet population through spaying and neutering. OAA is proud to partner with United Spay Alliance and serve as the statewide leader for Ohio. Together, we are overcoming obstacles to help more families find the resources they need to get their pets spayed and neutered. When more pets are spayed and neutered, fewer animals enter shelters.

Spay/neuter programs are incredibly cost-effective compared to sheltering animals. A national survey found that shelters spend an average of $176 for each impounded animal, with a cost of $450 to ultimately place an animal into a new home.

Low-cost spay/neuter programs have been shown to reduce both euthanasia and shelter intake rates: a cost savings due to spay/neuter range from $116-$390 per animal.

Given the known benefits of sterilization and the lack of evidence for harm related to age at which the procedure is performed, the Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization calls for veterinary practitioners and professional associations to recommend sterilization of cats by five months of age. - 2016 statement by the Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization

OAA is proud to partner with United Spay Alliance, and serve as the Statewide Leader for Ohio. Together, we are overcoming obstacles to help more families find the resources they need to get their pets spayed and neutered. Because when more pets are spayed and neutered, fewer animals enter shelters.

Feline Fix by Five strives to increase awareness of the ideal time to spay/neuter cats – before five months of age. The goal is simple. Spread the word cats can and should be spayed/neutered by five months of age, or even earlier (cats can become pregnant at four months of age). Early spay/neuter is essential to avoiding unwanted litters. According to the 2016 statement of the Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization: 

Given the known benefits of sterilization and the lack of evidence for harm related to age at which the procedure is performed, the Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization calls for veterinary practitioners and professional associations to recommend sterilization of cats by five months of age.

The key is to “beat the heat”—that is, to ensure that cats are spayed/neutered before their first heat. Far too many kittens (and pups) are born to mothers who would be spayed after the first litter was born. Far too many unwanted cats end up as strays or in shelters and euthanized. We can put an end to this with early spay/neuter.

The American Veterinarian Medical Association is among the organizations that endorse Feline Fix by Five.

Visit Feline Fix by Five to learn more about the campaign and see the list of major organizations that have endorsed fixing by five months, and also find helpful resources to push these efforts in Ohio communities.

• OAA Statewide Resource Directory - low-cost spay/neuter and TNR providers

• Community Cats: Ohio’s Municipal Guide for Busy Leaders: Produced by OAA and Together Initiative, this guide is an excellent resource for advocates to use when working with local policymakers to pass ordinances on community cat management, feeding, and trap/neuter/return.

• Identifying Ohio’s Community Cat Resources – A State of the State Report 2023: Produced by OAA and Together Initiative, this report created Ohio’s first comprehensive listing of community cat resources, including both spay/neuter and trap/neuter/return (TNR) services by county. The report also identifies Ohio’s TNR deserts which will provide the opportunity for OAA and Together Initiative to identify partners and resources to help fill these geographic gaps in service for Ohio’s community cats.

• United Spay Alliance Spay/Neuter Referral Directory - select your state on the map below to discover affordable spay/neuter services nearby.

Ohio Community Cat Summits:

• Partnering with Together Initiative, OAA hosted a statewide virtual Community Cat Summit on 11/5/22, to examine current community cat resources in Ohio and beyond, with an interactive session to brainstorm on how to alleviate resource deserts and scarcities, and you can view it here.

• Partnering with Together Initiative, OAA hosted a statewide virtual Community Cat Summit on 10/9/21, with keynote speaker Sterling Davis, the TrapKing, who gave up his music career to start a cat shelter. You can view the Community Cat Summit here.