Below are programs that provide low cost or free spay/neutering, listed by state. Some programs work only with pets of people with low incomes. Some do not consider income but serve only pet cats -- or only feral (untame) cats. But other programs serve all kinds of dogs and cats. We believe the listing details below are correct at this writing, but call the program to be sure.

A Free Spay and Neuter program is the only key solution to reduce the number of unwanted animals needlessly killed and born into a society that does not care. We should stop killing and help pass a Free Spay and Neuter program. By offering Free Spay and Neuter assistance to the general public this program can be achieved.

If you know about other low cost or free spay and neuter programs or if you have updates to our listings, please Email us.

If you don't find a service listed for your area, don't give up. First, call the offices of Spay/USA and of Friends of Animals (see Nationwide below). They have information about discount spay/neuter services in many towns across the country.

You can probably find other spay/neuter services -- maybe some with lower prices -- by phoning local humane and cat rescue groups (even groups in nearby towns). Usually such groups keep informed of spay/neuter services in their region. If you have rescued a cat or you caretake ferals, ask local vet clinics whether they offer some kind of good-Samaritan discount.

Prices can vary widely even in the same city. Also, when discussing prices, be sure to ask whether there are any other charges or fees in addition to the price of the spay/neuter. For example, sometimes a clinic will require that a cat receive a rabies vaccination if he has not already had one. (Rabies vaccinations are required by law in many areas of the U.S.)

About vaccinations. Based on recent research about vaccine safety, effectiveness, and duration of effect, most veterinarians are not giving as many vaccinations as in the past. (Rabies vaccinations, however, are required by law in many localities). Decisions about vaccinations should be based on current knowledge about vaccines and the cat's age, lifestyle, and health status. For the latest recommendations about what vaccinations to give and when and to whom, see the American Association of Feline Practitioners' Feline Vaccination Guidelines and see DVM Newsmagazine's summary.

Doesn't everyone get their cats spayed and neutered? No. There are millions of healthy cats and kittens put to death each year in U.S. animal shelters because of unaltered cats and not enough homes for their offspring. Some people don't know this, or they don't recognize this is related to themselves or their cats.

People put off spay/neuter due to issues of money, transportation, or time. Some people believe it's more fair to allow the cat to mate "just this once" -- or they think a female cat's pregnancy and kittens will be sweet or educational for their human children. Also, some people don't know that:

• Cats can start mating as early as six months
• Even indoor-only house cats often find ways to get outdoors when the sexual urge hits them. Whether they disappear for good (due to panic, accidents, or enemies) or they return home, kittens are the result.
• An unaltered male cat can father hundreds of kittens a year.
• Statistically speaking, even if a person finds good homes for a litter of kittens, some of the kittens will grow up and produce litters of kittens.
• Spaying a female before her first heat protects her from risks of uterine, ovarian, and mammary cancers.
• Spaying also protects her from the stresses of pregnancy.
• Spaying reduces her frantic interest in the outdoors and reduces the chances that she'll wander far.
• Spaying reduces the chances she'll mark your home with urine when she's in heat.
• Unaltered cats have urges that make them irritable and anxious. They yowl or whine frequently, fight with other cats, and/or destroy objects in the house.
• Neutering a male reduces his risk from numerous health problems.
• Neutering lowers his urge to roam and to fight, and thus lowers chances of disease transmission and woundings.
• Neutering also reduces his tendency to spray in the home.
• And neutering eliminates the powerful odor of adult male cat urine.

Help stop the suffering -- Spread the word in your neighborhood
You can help cats and people by distributing flyers in your neighborhood about low cost or free spay/neuter services. Design an attractive flyer highlighting the benefits of spay/neuter plus the names and phone numbers of local services. Post the flyers in supermarkets and other public places where flyers are accepted. Distribute flyers to households in your neighborhood, especially those with new or unaltered pets.

Early-age spay/neuter
Some people delay spay/neuter for their pet because they've heard the animal must be six months or older. Although many older veterinarians were taught that, a number of studies show that cats and dogs as young as eight weeks have no problems later in life due to early- age spay/neuter. Plus, young kittens bounce back faster from the procedures than older kittens or cats. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) endorses early-age spay and neuter.

Due to traditions in some vet schools, some veterinarians are not familiar with the procedure or have no experience performing the surgery on younger kittens. Also, the procedure requires the safer and more expensive inhalant anesthetics such as isoflorane.

Here is some information about the benefits of early-age spay/neuter. For veterinarians and others involved with spay/neuter programs, the American Humane Association (Englewood, CO 800-227-4645 or 303-792-9900) has a 30-page brochure and accompanying video for $14 about early-age spay/neuter, titled "The Case for Early Neutering" by veterinarians Alicia Faggella, Patricia Olson, and Mark Bloomberg, which has been endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association, among others.

Veterinarian W. Marvin Mackie produced a video on early-age spay/neuter procedures. To learn more about the video or if you are a veterinarian wishing to discuss it, write Dr. Mackie at 450 Arcadia Drive, San Pedro, CA 90731.

Lost cost or free spay/neuter programs

Click on state desired

NATIONWIDE

Friends of Animals
777 Post Road, Suite 205
Darien, CT 06820
800-321-7387
203-656-1522
Friends of Animals will send you an order form and a directory of participating veterinarians nationwide. You pay Friends of Animals for a certificate which you then take to the vet. At this writing, cost for spaying a female cat is $55. For neutering a male, it's $40. Veterinarians are invited to call for information about participating.

Spay/USA
North Shore Animal League Intl.
14 Vanderventer Ave., Suite L-1
Port Washington, NY 10050
800-248-SPAY
516-883-7575
Call Spay/USA to get the names, phone numbers, and prices of services that have agreed to provide lower cost spay/neutering for cats and dogs in your local area. Private veterinarians, community programs, and special clinics participate nationwide.

If your area needs additional spay/neuter services, request Spay/USA's packet of materials to distribute to local vets and organizations. Spay/USA web page.

ALABAMA

Humane Society of Etowah County
1700 Chestnut Street
Gadsden, AL 35901
256-547-4846

Humane Society of Shelby County
Columbiana, AL
205-669-3916

ALASKA

Anchorage Animal Hospital
Anchorage, AK
907-563-2395

Alaska SPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic
549 West International Airport Road #B-2
Anchorage, AK 99518
907-562-2999
Open six days a wee, but call for information first. Also has a mobile spay/neuter clinic visiting other Alaskan communities.

ARIZONA

Good Samaritan Program
Tucson, AZ
520-325-1055
Free spay/neuter for pets of qualified low income residents.

Humane Society of Tucson
Low cost spay/neuter clinic
3450 North Kelvin Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85716
520-321-3704

Animal Crusaders of Arizona, Inc.
PO Box 31586
Tucson, AZ 85751
520-798-6451
Low cost spay/neuter for animals of low income people and for rescued animals.

Kitty Love
PO Box J
Scottsdale, AZ 85252
602-481-6920
Free spay/neuter for ferals and low cost for pets.

Spay and Neuter Assistance Program
(S.N.A.P. Clinic)
1812 West Bell Road
Phoenix, AZ
602-942-7283
Low cost s/n for every one. Also low cost vaccination clinics held twice a month.

ARKANSAS

Humane Society of the Ozarks
70 N. College, Suite 7
Fayetteville, AR 72701
501-444-7387
For low income people in any area, two programs are available to assist with the spay/neuter of cats and dogs. Call during business hours for details.

Stop Cruelty to Animals Now
Izard, Fulton, and Sharp Counties
contact Shorlyn at 870-994-2440
Low cost spay/neuter, primarily for pets of low income residents.

Click here for CALIFORNIA

COLORADO

Humane Society of Boulder Valley
2014 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO
303-443-8102
Low cost spay/neuter clinic for all.

MaxFund Animal Adoption Center
Low Cost Clinic
1041 Galapago Street
Denver, CO 80204
303-595-3561
Low cost s/n and vaccinations for pets of low income people. Open Monday through Saturday.

Dreampower Animal Rescue Foundation
Colorado Springs, CO
719-390-7838
Low cost spay/neuter for pets of low income people.

CONNECTICUT

Creature Kindness
PO Box 185211
Hamden CT 06518
203-389-2242
Gives advice about feral caretaking, trap-neuter-release (TNR), and lends traps to people doing TNR.

The Hope Alliance
c/o LMR
88 Morse Place
New Haven, CT 06512
203-466-2185
Information about low cost s/n services in the area.

Help For Pets
Danbury, CT
203-792-1477
Low cost spay/neuter.

Greater New Haven Cat Project
203-782-2287
Low cost spay/neuter for ferals.

Rehab-A-Cat
PO Box 3184
New Haven, CT 06515
New Haven, CT 203-787-5532
Seymour, CT 203-888-2279
Low cost or free spay/neuter for ferals and pets and low cost testing, vaccinations.

TEAM
PO Box 591
Westbrook, CT 06498
860-399-5569
888-367-8326 toll free
Mobile spay/neuter clinic that provides low cost spay/neuter and vaccinations, across the state.

Kitty Angels
Tolland, CT
860-875-1808 or 860-872-8877
Low cost spay/neuter for pets as well as good discounts on vet services and vaccinations for feral cats.

Statewide Veterinary Clinic
Torrington, CT
860-496-1006
888-613-2034 toll free
Also offers free one-way transportation for the cat (to or from Torrington).

DELAWARE

Delaware Humane Association
701 A Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
302-571-0111
Low cost spay/neuter for all. Plus the Friends of Feral Felines offers free s/n for ferals.

Dumpster Cats
Bear DE
302-834-2859 Delaware
410-885-5783 Maryland
dumpstrcat@aol.com Email
Certificates for discount s/n at many local veterinarians.

Click here for FLORIDA

GEORGIA

Atlanta Humane Society
981 Howell Mill Road, NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
404-875-2600

Spay and Neuter Team of Atlanta
Marietta, GA
678-560-6070
Email aadelage@aol.com

SpayGeorgia, Inc.
Lilburn, GA
770-662-4479

Humane Society of Cobb County
1060 Al Bishop Drive
Marietta, GA 30060
770-428-5678

Cat Care Hospital
Marietta, GA
770-424-6369
Scheduled once a month, low cost spay/neuter services.

Animal Welfare and Rescue Effort (AWARE)
PO Box 31046
Savannah, GA 31046
912-920-8605
Certificates for discount spay/neuter.

HAWAII

Hawaiian Humane Society
2700 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu 96826
FAX 955-6034
Conducts drawings to give free spay or neuter each week to 20 cats. Write or fax them -- include your name, address, phone, and the cat's name and gender.

IDAHO

Bonneville Humane Society
PO Box 2763
Idaho Falls, ID 83403
208-529-9725

Humane Society of the Palouse
2019 White Avenue
Moscow, ID 83843
208-883-1166
Discounts for residents of Latah or Whitmany county.

Click here for ILLINOIS

INDIANA

Spay/Neuter Assistance Program
Fort Wayne, IN
219-427-5508

FACE Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic
1505 E. Massachusetts Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46201
317-638-3223
Low cost spay/neuter, vaccinations, testing, and heartworm/flea medications. FACE stands for Foundation Against Companion Animal Euthanasia.

Humane Society of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN
317-872-5650
Lower cost spay/neuter for pets of qualified low income people.

Humane Society of Morgan County
Martinsville, IN
317-349-9177
Low cost spay/neuter for pets of qualified low income people.

IOWA

Humane Society of Rock Island County
724 West 2nd Avenue
Milan, IL 61264
309-787-6830
Serving surrounding areas in Iowa and Illinois, Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, etc. Low costs for spay/neuter, tests, and vaccinations.

S.N.A.P.
Muscatine, IA
319-264-2370
Helps pay for spay/neuter of pets of people who have low incomes.

Humane Society of Scott County
2134 West River Drive
Davenport, IA 52802
319-324-3960

Noah's Ark
PO Box 748
Fairfield, IA 52556
515-472-6080

KANSAS

Humane Society of Greater Kansas City
316 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, KS
913-371-3869

KENTUCKY

Home At Last
PO Box 144
Salvisa, KY 40372
502-839-1974
web site
Spay/neuter assistance for feral cats.

The Animal Refuge Center
PO Box 400
Vine Grove, KY 40175
502-877-6064
Offers certificates for low cost spay/neuter and vaccinations, from designated veterinarians.

LOUISIANA

Spay/Neuter Intervention Program (SNIP)
St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter
115 W. Agriculture Road
Chalmette, LA 70043
504-278-1535
Free spay/neuter of cats and dogs brought by retired residents and by people on any type of public assistance. Low cost spay/neuter for cats and dogs for everyone else.

Jefferson SPCA
1 Humane Way
Harahan, LA 70123
504-733-PETS
web site
For anyone in the community, Jefferson SPCA provides discount certificates for cat and dog spay/neuter with participating veterinarians. Serves Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, St. Charles, St. Bernard, and Terrebonne parishes.

Southern Animal Foundation
Spay/Neuter Intervention Program (SNIP)
PO Box 4164
New Orleans, LA 70178
504-861-7729
Mobile clinic that visits sites in Hammond, St. Charles, Slidell, New Orleans, Jefferson, Mandeville, Plaquemines, Amie, Abita Springs, and St. Bernard.

MAINE

M.A.M.A.
PO Box 94
Prospect Harbor, ME 04669
207-422-2358
Low cost spay/neuter for North and Central Maine.

Animal Refuge League
449 Stroudwater Street
Westbrook, ME 04092
207-854-9771
Spay/neuter program for pets of qualified low income people.

Friends of Feral Felines
PO Box 8137
Portland, ME 04101
207-797-3014
mchase1@maine.rr.com Email
Low cost s/n for ferals.

Control Animal Population
Maine Federation of Humane Societies
c/o Denise Springer, Administrator
Animal Welfare Society
PO Box 43
West Kennebunk, ME 04094
207-985-3244
Discount certificates for people who demonstrate a financial need.

Maine Veterinary Medical Association
PO Box 8
Rumford Center, ME 04278
207-364-8660
Low cost spay/neuter program.

MARYLAND

Feral Cat Program Spay/Neuter Clinic
Clinic location Northwest DC
Managed by Metro Ferals
PO Box 7138
Arlington, VA 22207
703-528-7782
or call Alley Cat Allies 202-667-3630 ext 112
Low cost spay/neuter, testing, and vaccinations for feral or stray cats.

Montgomery County Humane Society
Rockville, MD
301-279-1823
301-279-6999
Offers discounts at many veterinary clinics in the area. Call for information

Prince George's County SPCA/Humane Society
Forestville, MD
301-464-9063
web site
Call here to learn about various kinds of assistance and clinics for low cost s/n.

Human Society of Charles County
71 Industrial Park Drive

Waldorf, MD 20604
301-645-8181
Low cost s/n for pets of people with low income. Call for details.

Frederick County Humane Society
1832 Rosemont Avenue
Frederick, MD 21702
301-694-1545
Low cost spay/neuter for pets.

The Lucky Ones
37725 Traveled Lane
Charlotte Hall, MD
301-884-2850
web site
Low cost spay/neuter clinic.

Montgomery County SPCA
PO Box 637
Gaithersburg, MD 20880
301-948-4266

Animal Welfare Society of Howard County
8556 Davis Road
Columbia, MD 21045
410-465-4350
Low cost spay/neuter clinic as well as low cost vaccinations at time of surgery or at weekly vaccine clinic.

Humane Society of Baltimore County
1601 Nicodemus Road
Reisterstown, MD 21136
410-833-4480 or 410-833-8848

Animal Advocates of Howard County
PO Box 1403
Ellicott City, MD 21041
410-880-2488
Offers information about low cost s/n in the area. Also, offers free s/n for pets of people with low income. Also, holds an annual male cat neuter-a-thon for very low price neutering.

Dumpster Cats
Bear DE
410-885-5783 Maryland
302-834-2859 Delaware
dumpstrcat@aol.com Email
Certificates for discount s/n at many local veterinarians.

Spay Inc.
PO Box 3240
Arlington, VA 22203
703-522-7920
703-521-2677
web site
Help for residents of Maryland, DC, and Virginia.

MASSACHUSETTS

Animal Advocates
North Dartmouth, MA
508-991-7727
Low cost spay/neuter clinic.

Northeast Animal Shelter
204 Highland Avenue
Salem, MA 01970
508-745-9888

Alliance for Animals
232 Silver Street
South Boston, MA 02127
617-648-6822
617-265-7577
617-268-7800 clinic
Low cost spay/neuter and vaccinations for pets and ferals. They also have a mobile clinic that visits many neighborhoods. Call for information.

Neponset Valley Humane Society
PO Box 609
Canton, MA 02021
781-341-2675

Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society
91 Bridge Road
Salisbury, MA
978-462-0760
Free spay/neuter for ferals.

MICHIGAN

Long Lake Animal Hospital
5044 John R Road
Troy, MI 48098
248-689-8899

Humane Society of Huron Valley
Ann Arbor, MI
313-662-4365

Kalamazoo Humane Society
4239 South Westnedge
Kalamazoo, MI
616-345-1181
Provides some assistance for the spay/neuter of pets of qualifed low income people.

Animal's Best Friend
PO Box 443
Oshtemo, MI 49077
616-624-1090
For pets living in Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties, ABF provides small subsidies at particular veterinary clinics each month. Call for details.

MINNESOTA

Spay, Neuter, Aid Program (SNAP)
Contented Critters
PO Box 385
Makinen, MN 55763
218-638-2153
Low cost spay/neuter for pets of qualified low income people.

Corcoran Pet Care Center
7569 County Road 116
Hamel, MN
612-420-3930

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Animal Rescue League
Jackson,