1. PA PETS Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program for Owned / Pet Dogs and Cats:
Potential clients must be a resident of either Columbia or Montour Counties, PA (or in areas adjacent to the county borders like East Berwick or Riverside) and their Household Income must be at or below $40,000/year (You will be asked to verify your Adjusted Gross Income level for your entire Household when you submit your application).
NOTE: For residents of Snyder, Union, or Northumberland Counties needing spay/neuter services for their pet dogs and cats, CONTACT: https://www.SUNPETS.org for financial assistance and appointments.
2. PA PETS TNR (Trap / Neuter / Return) Program:
The PA PETS TNR Program, formerly called the PA PETS Feral Program, does not limit applicants by county of residence, nor by household income level. We do, however, request your household income level to determine the amount of your copayments per cat.
Potential TNR Clients must be:
– Willing to trap outside, homeless cats using LIVE (Box-type or Have-A-Heart type) traps that are available for loan by PA PETS,
– Able to transport the trapped cats to/from pre-scheduled veterinary clinic appointments, and to recuperate the cats (post-surgery) in a warm, quiet environment before they are released back to their familiar location where they know how to find food and shelter, and
– Willing and able to provide both daily food, water and shelter for these outside cats to ensure they remain healthy and safe.
Application Process:
Print the above Application Form for EITHER PA PETS PROGRAM.
Complete and mail the application form with your co-payment to PA PETS, 203 East 5th Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. You will be contacted by a PA PETS Volunteer once your application and copayment are received and approved.
BE SURE to provide BOTH your Cell and your home phone numbers, address, EMAIL ADDRESS, number of animals to be spayed/neutered, note any other people involved (co-trappers or transporters), including their phone number(s).
NOTE: You can apply for MULTIPLE animals to be spayed/neutered on either PA PETS Application form by submitting the appropriate level of copayments for multiple animals on the application form. There is no need to submit a separate application form for each animal to be spayed/neutered.
BE SURE to sign the application form agreeing to our PA PETS DISCLAIMER in order to be approved for either one of our two Spay/Neuter Programs. We will not process or approve any Application Form for EITHER Spay/Neuter Program if the Application Form is incomplete, or if the PA PETS DISCLAIMER is not SIGNED as your signature indicates your agreement to these terms.
CLIENT COPAYMENTS:
Client Copayments are required as part of the application process for BOTH PA PETS Spay/Neuter Programs.
All PA PETS Application Forms (for BOTH Spay/Neuter Programs) should be mailed (with copayments) to PA PETS, 203 East 5th Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815. FOR TNR Program Clients: Write “TNR” on the outside of your envelope.
COPAYMENT AMOUNTS:
PA PETS “Pets” Low Cost Spay/Neuter Program for Pet Dogs and Cats
Copayments are based on your Total Household’s (Annual) Adjusted Gross Income (found on page 1 of your Income Tax Return).
$ 5/animal – For household incomes up to $20,000/year
$10/animal – For household incomes of $20,000 – $30,000/year
$15/animal – For household incomes of $30,000 – $40,000/year
PA PETS TNR PROGRAM for outside, homeless non-owned cats
Copayments are based on household income levels:
$40/animal – For household incomes greater than $30,000/year
$20/animal – For household incomes at or below $30,000/year
NOTE: We review TNR Client Copayments on an individual basis, and if there are large colonies to be TNR’d or other circumstances, copayments can be reduced or possibly waived by the PA PETS TNR Program Manager after discussion with the TNR Program Applicant (Good Samaritan Colony Caregiver or trapper).
THE SPAY/NEUTER APPOINTMENT PROCESS AND PAYMENT OF VET CLINIC CHARGES:
Once we receive your application form AND your copayment (based on your household income level and the number of animals to be spayed/neutered), we will contact you to discuss how each PA PETS Spay/Neuter program works,
The PA PETS Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program for Pet Dogs and Cats currently pays the following amounts directly to our participating veterinary clinic for our APPROVED clients:
$125 – for CAT Spay or Neuter surgeries (same amount for male or female cats)
$150 – for MALE DOG Neuter surgeries
$200 – for FEMALE DOG Spay surgeries
NOTE: Most veterinary clinics have a slightly higher charge for larger dogs, based on the weight of the dogs and the amount / cost of medications required for anesthesia.
ALL OTHER VETERINARY CLINIC CHARGES BEYOND THE STATED PA PETS PAYMENTS (Above) are the responsibility of the pet owners (Pets Program Clients).
The PA PETS TNR Program pays the participating veterinary clinics directly for APPROVED TNR clients who have coordinated their appointments through our PA PETS TNR Program. Payment usually covers both the spay/neuter surgery, post-op pain medications and vaccinations. Occasionally, payment is also made for additional medications or procedures for sick or injured TNR’d cats that receive spay/neuter surgeries.
When we receive your PA PETS TNR Program Application form, we will call you and discuss the number of cats to be spayed/neutered and vaccinated, your location, who is feeding and sheltering them, who will be doing the trapping, transporting to/from the veterinary clinics, and recuperating them before they are returned to their familiar location (colony) where they should have access to food and shelter. This is part of our approval process to participate in our TNR Program.
NOTE: ALL TNR PROGRAM VETERINARY CLINICS REQUIRE the use of Live (box-type or Have-A-Heart) traps (covered with a towel or small blanket) to trap, transport and check-in the TNR’d cats (for the trappers, the cats’ and the clinic staff’s safety). This is also a requirement of our PA PETS TNR PROGRAM.
Hard or soft carriers, boxes, nets, dog crates or any other enclosures are NOT acceptable to use with the PA PETS TNR PROGRAM and our participating vet clinics. The cats MUST be trapped and transported in Live (box-type) traps.
If you need Live (box-type) traps, PA PETS TNR Program will provide loaner traps. It is the TNR Client’s Responsibility to pick-up the traps from one of our TNR Program volunteers and return them CLEAN and in working order when they have completed TNR’ing.
Our PA PETS TNR Program Manager will coordinate with both the approved TNR Clients and the participating vet clinics to schedule the TNR Appointments, including payment of the clinic charges.
EAR-TIPPING for TNR’d CATS: Ear tipping is a surgical procedure where the tip of the left ear is removed UNDER ANESTHESIA for all TNR’d CATS that are brought in for spay or neuter surgeries and vaccinations. THIS IS MANDATORY for the sake of the cats that are spayed/neutered under PA PETS TNR PROGRAM. The Reason?? If any outside cat is re-trapped, the trapper and/or the vet clinic staff will see immediately that the cat has been previously spayed or neutered – and they will not perform another surgery on that cat. Ear-tipping is especially critical for female cats whose belly scar (from a prior spay surgery) may have faded and is not visible when their belly is shaved to prepare for their surgery.
Some vets are now ALSO utilizing green tattoo ink (in addition to the ear tip) when they complete the spay procedure and close the female cat’s belly (with sutures under the skin and Dermabond sealer applied to the skin to reduce the possibility of an infection of the surgical site). Ear tipping and use of green tattoo Ink have been developed over many years by many veterinarians who want to protect homeless cats from undergoing a second (unnecessary) surgery.
IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR BOTH PA PETS SPAY/NEUTER PROGRAMS (for both a pet dog and/or cat(s) AS WELL AS FOR OUTSIDE Cats, you need to complete each Program’s application form and you are required to make copayments for each program. Application forms with Copayments can be mailed to the same address (on the forms), and the Program managers will review and approve them for each program in coordination with the applicant.
