FixNation is a non-profit organization providing free spay/neuter services for homeless, stray and feral cats, as well as reduced rate spay/neuter services for tame cats. Our goal is to humanely reduce the number of homeless cats throughout Los Angeles by sterilizing as many as possible. We focus on providing these free spay/neuter services for “managed colonies”, which means food, water and shelter is provided to these cats on a daily basis.

Homeless, Stray & Feral Cats

FixNation offers free spay/neuter services for homeless, stray and feral cats. Under our free feral program, all homeless cats who will be eartipped for identification purposes will receive the following free services at the time they are here for surgery:

• Spay/neuter surgery
• Physical exam
• Rabies vaccine
• FVRCP vaccine (feline distemper combo vaccine)
• Revolution (for fleas, earmites, mange, hookworms, roundworms and a heartworm protection all for 30 days)
• Pain medication
• Fluids
• Antibiotic
• Droncit injection (for tapeworms), as needed
• Limited medical treatment
• Ear-tip
• Lots of TLC!

The eartip is the universal symbol that an outdoor or free-roaming cat has been fixed. It is done while the cat is under anesthesia, is relatively painless for the cat and does not significantly alter their beauty. We also apply a bit of pain medication paste to the eartip to make it even more comfortable for the cat.

Eartip example

Since we have only one opportunity with the feral cats, we choose to provide all that we can while they’re here for surgery.

We can do small eartips for any stray cats or kittens who you may be trying to adopt out.

Tame Companion Cats

FixNation offers, on a limited basis, reduced rate spay/neuter services for tame, companion cats who are not being eartipped. The cost of a female/spay is $55 and a male/neuter is $40 (rates effective as of 1/1/10). Vaccines are $8 each and Revolution is $15.

We do accept L.A. city coupons towards the cost of the spay or neuter.

Additional Services

We also offer the following services for an additional charge while cats are here for spay/neuter surgery:

• Microchipping – $25
• Feline Leukemia/FIV combo testing – $20 for ferals, $25 for tames
• Nail trims (tame cats only) – $5

Please be aware that our vaccine, testing and microchipping services are only provided at the time the cat is here for spay/neuter service. Since our main mission is to humanely reduce the number of homeless, stray and feral cats in Los Angeles, this is where we concentrate our time and attention.

You do not need to live in the city of Los Angeles in order to bring cats to our clinic. We service cats from any area, provided the cats can be safely transported to and from our clinic.

]]> http://fixnation.org/2010/03/fixnations-services/feed/ 0 http://fixnation.org/2010/02/an-exclusive-video-about-fixnation-courtesy-of-found-animals-foundation/ http://fixnation.org/2010/02/an-exclusive-video-about-fixnation-courtesy-of-found-animals-foundation/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:06:37 +0000 admin http://fixnation.org/?p=1197 Introducing a premiere video about FixNation clinic, courtesy of our friends at Found Animals Foundation. See our state-of-the-art clinic, meet our kitty clients and learn about our mission to spay and neuter the homeless cats all across Los Angeles.

Click here to view the embedded video.

About Found Animals Foundation, Inc.:

Found Animals is a privately funded non-profit dedicated to minimizing shelter euthanasia. They create programs designed to reduce shelter intake, increase adoption rates and focuses on developing sustainable animal welfare business models. For more information, visit their website or add them as a fan on Facebook today.

All proceeds from these clinics go to benefit FixNation, helping to offset the costs of free spay/neuter for homeless stray and feral cats. It’s a great way for us to bring low-cost, accessible services to you and your animals, while simultaneously raising money to help our non-profit.

Our vaccine clinics are held the first Saturday of every month (with July and September being the 3rd Saturday, due to holidays). Hours are from 9 am – 12 noon.

Walk-in’s welcome, no appointment necessary. Cash only!

Dogs need to be on leashes at all times. Cats need to come in sturdy carriers. Feral cats can be brought in for vaccines only (no microchips or testing) and must come in humane traps fully covered.

The services we are offering are:

CATS:

• Distemper combo vaccine (FVRCP or 4-in-1) = $8
• Rabies vaccine = $12
• AVID Microchip = $25
• FeLV/FIV Snap tests = $30
• Leukemia vaccine = $20

DOGS:

• Distemper combo vaccine (DH2PPV) = $8
• Rabies vaccine = $12
• AVID Microchip = $25
• Bordatella vaccine = $12
• Heartworm test = $20

2010 Vaccine Clinic Calendar:

The vaccine/microchip clinic schedule for the remainder of 2010 is as follows:

• July 17 ** (3rd Saturday instead)
• August 7
• September 18 ** (3rd Saturday instead)
• October 2
• November 6
• December 4

We hope to see you and your pets at our clinic! Please feel free to spread the word too… Here’s our flyer to download and circulate.

Click to download flyer

]]> http://fixnation.org/2010/02/low-cost-vaccine-microchip-clinics-for-dogs-and-cats/feed/ 7 http://fixnation.org/2009/11/our-trap-loan-trap-training-programs/ http://fixnation.org/2009/11/our-trap-loan-trap-training-programs/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:04:07 +0000 admin http://blog.fixnation.org/?p=470 FixNation loans out humane traps, carriers and equipment free of charge to the public.

The traps we loan out are humane traps that won’t harm the cats. While the traps may look intimidating, they are actually very safe. Using a humane trap is the safest solution to catch a feral cat – safer for both the cat and for you. It’s also the best way to temporarily house and transport them. Furthermore, it’s safer and easier for our vet techs to anesthetize the cat through a trap, as well as monitor the cat’s recovery post surgery.

Traps and equipment may be borrowed for up to 30 days, provided you are actively trapping and booking reservations with FixNation. All equipment must be returned promptly or upon request.

We do require a credit card and a driver’s license in order to check equipment out, but your card is not charged unless the equipment is not returned promptly. If you don’t have a credit card, we can hold a refundable check or cash deposit instead. A replacement fee of $75.00 per trap is required if a trap is damaged, stolen or lost. There is also a $5 per day late fee if a trap is not returned promptly within the 30 day period.

We are a life-based organization and our mission is to help cats – therefore our traps are not to be used for any purpose other than trapping cats to bring in to FixNation to be spayed or neutered. They are not to be used anywhere else, for any other reason whatsoever.

It’s also imperative that you never leave open, set traps unattended for any length of time. You should always stay within earshot or eyeshot of your traps. A trapped cat is very vulnerable. There are those rare instances when a cat could get hurt going into a trap. Passersby may release a trapped cat, not knowing what your intent is, or worse yet, steal your trap altogether. Cars could accidentally run over a trap in an unattended parking lot. You could inadvertently trap another wild animal (i.e. skunk, possum, raccoon) instead of a cat, which should be quickly re-released. Even when you think it’s safe in someone’s yard, sprinklers could go off around a trapped cat or a stray dog could approach. Please do not put a cat in jeopardy by leaving traps unattended.

Traps need to be returned to FixNation fully cleaned. There is a $25 cleaning fee for any traps that are returned dirty. When returning traps, please ensure all newspaper and bits of food are removed and traps are scrubbed down with soap and water. Please also remove any FixNation masking tape ID letters (not the plastic trap ID tag, but masking tape ID letters) that may have been used at prior clinic reservations. These should be removed from both the trap and the cover, each and every time you bring the trap into the clinic.

]]> http://fixnation.org/2009/11/our-trap-loan-trap-training-programs/feed/ 0 http://fixnation.org/2009/11/our-operational-focus/ http://fixnation.org/2009/11/our-operational-focus/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:47:34 +0000 admin http://fixnation.org/wordpress/?p=752 We are a non-profit organization providing free spay and neuter services for homeless/stray/feral cats, which are then returned to their colony and looked after by their caregiver. We focus on providing free spay/neuter for “managed colonies”, which means a feral colony where food, water and shelter is provided to the cats on a daily basis.

Our current operations focus on:

• Operating a full-time spay-neuter clinic for homeless (and tame) cats, with all services free to caregivers of homeless cats.
• Maintaining a collection of traps which we loan out to caregivers and trappers of feral cats who participate in our programs.
• Educating the public about TNR and offering training sessions on proper trapping techniques and care of feral cat colonies.
• Managing community outreach programs to target specific locations and reduce shelter intake and euthanasia rates for cats as a whole.
• Channeling as many cats as possible into home adoption as a material byproduct of our clinic activities.
• Conducting free, bi-monthly spay-neuter clinics through our sister program, Best Friends Catnippers.

FixNation does not remove, relocate or exterminate homeless cats, nor do we find homes for cats or kittens.

Feral cats are unhandleable. They look like regular domestic house-cats, but because they have never been socialized, they are very fearful and distrustful of humans. Generally they come out at dusk or at night. Some arch their backs and hiss and show aggression, others just avoid eye contact and run. With true ferals, you can’t pick them up or handle them. Very often you can’t even get close to them.

Feral cats are different from stray cats. Stray cats are former pets who have either been abandoned or “strayed” from home and got lost. These cats used to be cared for by an owner, but are now trying to survive on their own on the streets. Stray cats are generally tame and handleable, although they still may be skittish or frightened and run away from people. Generally, though, stray cats exhibit temperaments similar to pet cats, can be picked up and touched easily, and can be rescued off the streets and re-adopted into homes again.

Both feral cats and stray cats are homeless. These are the cats out in our streets, alleys, yards and parking lots. They are considered homeless, un-owned cats or “community cats.” Ideally, with a little work and care, stray cats can be re-adopted into homes. Feral cats, however, live their lives outside on the streets of our communities. That IS their home.

Feral kittens are kittens who have been born to a feral or stray mother. Feral kittens can generally be tamed down and adopted into homes, but only if they are socialized within the first couple months of their lives. A kitten around 6-8 weeks old may take just a day or two to tame down. Normally kittens under 12 weeks of age can be easily tamed with a little time and attention, but the older they get, the harder it becomes. Even then, some kittens never quite tame down. If they are not handled at an early age, they will remain feral and therefore unadoptable.

Feral cats are usually found in large groups called feral colonies. Feral colonies usually spring up when there is shelter and a food source present in the environment. Sometimes cats will live alone, but most form feral colonies.

Trap-Neuter-Return, or TNR for short, is the humane approach to controlling feral cat overpopulation. It’s a community-based program that involves concerned citizens like you trapping cats in your neighborhood, bringing them to a clinic like FixNation to get them fixed, and then returning the cats to the exact spot where you trapped them so they can live out the rest of their natural lives.

There exists in the Los Angeles area a very large population of homeless, stray and feral cats. Given their strong survival capabilities and prolific breeding, if nothing is done, this population will simply continue to grow. Unrestrained expansion will only lead to more and more cats living in unmanaged colonies, decreased public tolerance of homeless cats and increased pressure on the environment, animal control agencies and our society as a whole.

The old approach to controlling free-roaming cats was repeated extermination attempts. Long-term studies have demonstrated the futility of such a strategy, since other cats simply move in and replace the killed animals beginning the cycle of reproduction again.

On the other hand, Trap-Neuter-Return programs are a very successful method of decreasing stray cat populations. These programs succeed at the least cost to the public and provide the best possible life for the cats themselves. Therefore, FixNation devotes most of its resources, both personnel and material, toward decreasing the number of unowned cats though free sterilization services at our clinic, and massive TNR support.