Known for their rescue and foster work for stray cats, Flatbush Cats are going beyond their usual operations to open a cut-rate spay/neuter clinic in Brooklyn, New York. This move comes as a response to the mounting number of street cats and overcrowded animal shelters, due to the high costs of spay and neuter procedures.
“We had to acknowledge, candidly, that as important as rescue and fostering and adoption and [trap, neuter release, or TNR] work is — we do all those things — we had to acknowledge that it’s not going to solve the problem, so we had to move upstream,” stated Will Zweigart, founder and executive director of Flatbush Cats.
The new Flatbush Veterinary Clinic, a low-cost spay/neuter center, is launching next month. The clinic delivers cost-effective sterilization procedures for cats and dogs, in stark contrast to the typically high prices charged by regular veterinary practitioners.
The clinic, which is an impressive 3,700-square-foot facility, is equipped to handle a capacity of 7,500 sterilization procedures a year. It additionally offers essential services such as vaccinations and routine health checks. Wellness veterinarian at the clinic, Kai Small, believes these vital services would go a long way in keeping pets with their families rather than being abandoned on the streets.
Lindsay Branch, rescue program manager of Flatbush Cats, gave an insight into the prevailing situation, saying they frequently receive abandoned sick or newborn cats. “In the past week we’ve had a box of kittens in a towel … dumped on the stoop,” said Branch. The clinic also received “a really ill cat that was dumped in an open carrier, and this is a cat that clearly has a lot of problems,” said Branch, adding that it had an upper respiratory infection and was unable to walk.
The cat clinic will also continue its ongoing rescue and foster work. Amongst their recent rescue cases was "Creature," an 8-week-old kitten found on a Flatbush street. After a successful vaccine and deworming process, Creature is now set to join the adoption program this coming Monday's grand opening.
Though the initial set-up cost for the clinic is steep, it has mainly been funded through generous individual donations from around the world. Zweigart acknowledges more funds are still required to further establish the clinic and expand its services, aiming to pave the way for more wellness centers citywide.
City Councilman Justin Brannan, a prominent advocate for animal wellness, said, “This is a long time coming. The city is really falling short when it comes to helping feral cats. It’s something that should matter to every politician. I think this is a huge first step and I think that we should open up Flatbush Vets all over the city.”
Zweigart shared Brannan's optimism and expressed hope for further support from the city to expand their scalable solution for the city's cat overpopulation problem, “This is a solvable problem,” she said. “We built the solution to overcrowded shelters right here,” she concluded.
