SBHumane
On Thursday, June 27, the veterinary team at Santa Barbara Humane’s Santa Maria campus achieved something quite remarkable: They performed an unprecedented 92 spay and neuter surgeries on cats, marking the most surgical sterilizations performed at a single campus in one day in the organization’s history.
This milestone includes the surgical alteration of 46 feral cats as part of Santa Barbara Humane’s Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. On dedicated TNR days, feral cats are humanely trapped by community members and brought to Santa Barbara Humane, where they are then examined by a veterinarian, vaccinated, treated for fleas, and spayed or neutered. Once the cats have recovered from their surgeries, they are returned to managed locations to live out their lives.
TNR helps prevent the birth of countless unwanted kittens, reducing the overall feral cat population over time. This approach not only helps manage the community cat population, but also enhances their health and well-being, as sterilized cats tend to be less aggressive and face fewer health issues. In 2023, 758 feral cats were surgically steriliezed through Santa Barbara Humane’s donor-supported TNR program.
In addition to the feral cats, the day’s surgeries also encompassed cats from various other sources, including Santa Barbara Humane shelter cats and cats in the care of Santa Barbara County Animal Services. Several publicly owned cats, whose spay and neuter surgeries were only $5 thanks to an ongoing promotion, were also included in the total count.
For more information about Santa Barbara Humane’s TNR program, please visit sbhumane.org/community-cats. Those interested in $5 spay and neuter surgeries for cats are encouraged to book an appointment online at sbhumane.org/clinic.
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Santa Barbara Humane is the oldest animal welfare agency in Santa Barbara County, serving the community for over 135 years. The organization’s two campuses in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria provide low-cost veterinary care, affordable dog training, adoption, and socially conscious sheltering for local animals, whether they are with a loving family or at the shelter waiting for a home of their own. Because Santa Barbara Humane does not receive any federal funding, it relies on donor support to help thousands of animals and families each year in Santa Barbara County.
