Ramses rode home in his cat carrier on Wednesday afternoon, slightly dazed from post-surgery medication.
He was one of 46 cats to be fixed at the Tom-A-Thon, a project of No More Homeless Pets' Operation PetSnip held Wednesday.
As part of the event, the clinic offered a complimentary rabies shot with each surgery and cut the price of neutering in half for each additional male cat, also known as a "tomcat."
The "high-volume, high-quality" spay-neuter clinic, located at 4205 NW Sixth St., is a product of No More Homeless Pets in Alachua County. The project began more than a year ago to provide an affordable way to fix cats and dogs in the community. The clinic, based by appointments, usually charges $40 for cats and $60 for their canine counterparts.
Sandi Richmond, executive director of No More Homeless Pets, said the number of surgeries performed at the event was equivalent to saving more than 8,000 potential offspring.
"It is a national crisis situation," said Richmond, who spearheaded the effort to prevent illness and overpopulation.
Owners waited outside the doors of the clinic for their pets after hearing a speech about how to treat cats recovering from these surgeries.
Kelly Barr took Ramses, an anniversary gift from her husband, to the clinic on Wednesday. She also took home four other kittens that received treatment at the No More Homeless Pets facility.
"I don't know what I would have done otherwise," Barr said.
So far, Operation PetSnip has sterilized about 6,500 pets locally. The Gainesville clinic has a grant from the state Department of Motor Vehicles that allowed free sterilization for 500 pets whose owners lived in Alachua County and received government aid. There are 20 available spaces for dogs before the grant expires in July. For more information, call 352-376 6647 or visit nmhp.net.
