WE DO SURGERIES YEAR-ROUND, BUT ONLY PLACE 3-5 WEEKS ON OUR WEBSITE AT A GIVEN TIME. THIS WAY, IF THERE IS A CATASTROPHE (SUCH AS THE 3 MONTH SPAY/NEUTER SHUT DOWN IN 2020), WE ONLY HAVE TO RESCHEDULE A FEW DOZEN CATS RATHER THAN SEVERAL HUNDRED. ALSO, AS A NON-PROFIT, WE DO NOT HAVE A LARGE STAFF TO ANSWER THE PHONE, ETC – PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH US. THANK YOU.
LOW-INCOME ONLY: As a registered 501c3 non-profit, we are legally allowed to perform spays/neuters & minimal additional medical care (hernia repairs, abscess care, etc) & wellness care (ie vaccines, parasite control, microchips, etc) to PET CATS belonging to low-income households per Washington Department of Health regulations. CLICK HERE TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY.
Caretakers of cats that are TRULY UNOWNED do not need to meet these guidelines. An unowned cat does not live on your property and may only be seen a few times a week. Once you make the decision to keep the cat, rehome it, surrender it to an adoption program, etc. it is considered “owned”.
WHERE: The Cat’s Meow, 611 NW State Avenue, Chehalis, WA.
WHEN: Male & female appointments are now available. Please familiarize yourself with all information on this page before clicking the appropriate button at the bottom to see our schedule & lock in your cat’s spay or neuter appointment(s).
HOW: DROP-OFF, SURGERY AND PICK-UP ARE ALL DONE AT OUR FACILITY AT 611 NW STATE AVENUE IN CHEHALIS. WE DO NOT TRANSPORT CATS FOR SURGERIES. Drop-off is in the morning of surgery, between 7:30am and 9am, and pick-up is same day roughly between 3:30pm and 5pm. Pick-up can vary depending on how many clients we have on a given day. You will be assigned a pick-up time when you drop off.
We care about the safety of your cat, so please follow our SAFETY POLICY (prior to this policy, cats were lost due to carrier failure, etc) – Stay in your vehicle with doors closed and windows up, Have the carrier doors facing vehicle doors (or have them where you can reach them to make the carrier doors visible). Our representative will approach your vehicle with a flashlight (please do not roll down windows – the flashlight allows us to look through windows). Once our representative is satisfied that your carrier is secure, they will open a door near your carrier or ask you to roll down your window to continue the check-in process.
Our representative will review your paperwork with you (we will print it out and have it ready at drop-off), remind you of pick-up time, approximate balance and details and ask if you have any additional surgery-related questions before transferring your cat to our facility.
SCHEDULE: A $60 deposit is required to schedule an appointment. This deposit will be applied to charges for surgery and any additional services you may select (see next section for complete pricing information). Our scheduling software will gather information pertaining to you and your cat and which additional services you would like (if any). You will also be provided our SAFETY POLICY, be informed of what to do the night before surgery and be given post-op instructions. IMPORTANT: Reminders will be sent to you via email.
PRICES FOR SURGERIES
- SURGERY FOR OWNED CATS – if you were to move and WOULD TAKE the cat with you because no-one else takes responsibility for it, it is considered “owned” whether it is friendly or feral. (Receive an ABDOMINAL TATTOO (and an EAR TIP if not handleable, if you would like) ) to indicate that they are altered)
- $100 for males
- $150 for females
OR
- SURGERY FOR UNOWNED CATS – if you were to move and WOULD NOT take the cat(s) with you because it eats and sleeps at several different houses and others would be providing it with food/water/shelter, they are considered “unowned”. If the cat now eats and sleeps on your property and you have taken responsibility for it, it is no longer UNOWNED, even if it is feral (see SURGERY FOR OWNED CATS, above).
- Free-roaming/stray, handleable, unowned cats (Receive an ABDOMINAL TATTOO &EAR TIP to indicate that they are altered)
- $85 for males
- $115 for females
- Feral, untouchable, unowned cats (Receive an ABDOMINAL TATTOO & EAR TIP to indicate that they are altered)
- $65 for males
- $85 for females
- Free-roaming/stray, handleable, unowned cats (Receive an ABDOMINAL TATTOO &EAR TIP to indicate that they are altered)
PRICES FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES
IMPORTANT “FLEA-FREE ENVIRONMENT” POLICY
Any cat that has live fleas will receive a single dose of Capstar flea treatment. This product quickly kills all live fleas on the animal so that we can maintain a flea-free environment for our patients. Capstar does not provide lasting control and is not a replacement for a monthly topical flea treatment.
- $5 required if you cat has live fleas
- INCLUDED WITH EVERY SURGERY
- Rabies vaccine – FREE; not given if you provide proof of current vaccine (Click HERE for more info on Washington State legal requirement)
- Distemper vaccine – FREE. Booster ($5) is recommended in 2-4 weeks for best protection. Click HERE for more info regarding symptoms, treatment & prevention. If your cat has had one or more of this vaccine in the past, we must see actual proof in order to record it on the cat’s medical record.
- OPTIONAL SERVICES AVAILABLE AT TIME OF SURGERY
- Leukemia/FIV/Heartworm test – $40
- Leukemia vaccine – $20 Click HERE for more info regarding symptoms, treatment & prevention. If your cat has had one or more of this vaccine in the past, we must see actual proof in order to record it on the cat’s medical record. A booster ($20) is required in 2-4 weeks and can be scheduled when you pick up your cat after surgery.
- Flea treatment, lasts approx 30 days – $15 (Selarid; also controls roundworms)
- Flea treatment to take home, 6 month supply – $70 (Selarid; also controls roundworms & ear mites)
- Roundworm treatment w/2nd dose – $5 (Not necessary if requesting Flea Treatment; we use Selarid which kills roundworms)
- Tapeworm treatment – $10 (most cats that have fleas or eat rodents that have fleas will have tapeworms)
- Check for ear-mites – $10 (required in order to administer or dispense ear mite medication)
- Ear cleaning, no mite treatment – $15
- Ear cleaning + one mite treatment – $20 (Must first check for and confirm mites; best for cats that cannot be easily handled at home; this one treatment may not be enough to completely irradicate the ear mite infestation. 2-3 monthly doses of Selarid should irradicate ear mites.)
- Take home ear mite cleaner – $15 (Ok for cats that can be easily handled at home; when paired with ear mite treatment, this will be enough product to irradicate the ear mite infestation if package instructions are followed)
- Take home ear mite treatment – $15 (Must first check for and confirm mites; ok for cats that can be easily handled at home; when paired with an ear cleaner, this will be enough product to irradicate the ear mite infestation if package instructions are followed)
- Nail trim – $10
- Microchip – $20 (includes free, life-time registration)
- Engraved ID tag – $5 (small circle or heart in black, gold, red, pink, green, blue, silver)
- Breakaway collar – $5 (many styles to choose from)
- ADDITONAL SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED AT PHYSICIAN’S DISCRETION, not optional
- Hernia repair – $40-80 depending on severity
- Cryptorchid (undescended testicle(s)) – $40-$80
- STANDARD OF CARE – based on our vet’s evaluation, up to $50 for, but not limited to, the following: parasite control, cleaning abscesses, shaving tight/matted fur, etc
- In heat/pregnant/multiparous (we do our best to pre-screen for pregnant cats, and not accept them for surgery) – $10-$60
IMPORTANT CANCELLATION POLICY: Prepaid appointments can be cancelled for a full refund or rescheduled with 48 hours written notice (via text to 360-623-0820). Example – if your appointment is on Tuesday at 9am, you can change/cancel your appointment as late as 9am on Sunday. After that, changing or cancelling is closed and refunds are not available.
Cats must be in their own secure, properly sized PLASTIC/METAL carrier. There will be a $5 charge if your cat is not in a plastic carrier (or small metal kennel), is in a carrier that is too small/large or is in a dirty carrier. Truly feral cats in traps or kennels are the exception to being in the appropriate type/size carrier, but cleanliness is still necessary (with the exception of the feral cat going to the bathroom ). See appropriate containers here.
- Please use a carrier that is the correct size for your cat. His/her head should almost touch the roof of the carrier when standing and he/she should be able to easily turn around in the carrier.
- Carriers that are too small can be dangerous for your cat during anesthesia/recovery.
- Carriers that are too large may frighten your cat as it will be harder for him/her to balance in it and also can create a risk of injury to our anesthesiologist, and do not fit on our shelving.
- Cloth carriers are often difficult to see into and create a risk for a cat falling asleep/waking up from anesthesia; also, they can fall off of shelves and if a cat urinates/defecates in the carrier, it cannot be used.
- Cardboard carriers present the same issues as fabric carriers, but can also be easily torn by a cat, rendering the carrier unusable.
Healthy cats only, please. We cannot accept cats with eye or nose discharge, vomiting/diarrhea, fever, lethargy, ringworm. We cannot risk exposure to other patients, and the stress of surgery can be dangerous for them.
NOTE REGARDING PREGNANT CATS: We do not spay detectably pregnant cats. Please…be honest with us and do not attempt to have us spay a cat that you know to be pregnant. We value cats’ lives….born and unborn. Ask us about no-kill resources for surrendering kittens.
PAYMENT – WE TAKE A DEBIT/CREDIT/PREPAID CARD ONLINE FOR THE DEPOSIT TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT. WE WILL TEXT YOU A LINK AFTER SURGERY, BUT BEFORE PICK-UP, TO PAY THE BALANCE.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU MEET THE INCOME GUIDELINES BEFORE SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT FOR AN OWNED CAT.
YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO RESIDE IN LEWIS COUNTY, BUT THE GUIDELINES ARE FOR “LEWIS COUNTY” SINCE WE ARE LOCATED IN LEWIS COUNTY (Per Department of Health).
REMEMBER, AS A 501c3, WE ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO ASSIST PEOPLE WHO ARE LOW-INCOME (Per Department of Health). The exception is when the cat(s) is TRULY unowned….in other words, lives and eats at many homes, rather than predominantly on your property.
ONCE YOU HAVE REVIEWED ALL OF THE INFORMATION ABOVE AND HAVE CONFIRMED THAT YOU MEET THE INCOME GUIDELINES (IF BRINGING A PET CAT), CLICK HERE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.