Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh working to control cat population with annual spay-a-thon

The Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh is now in spay-and-neuter mode for the next day. Over the next 24 hours, staff, veterinarians, veterinary technicians and volunteers will care for approximately 400 community cats as part of HARP's ninth annual spay-a-thon.

The large-scale effort is designed to address feral cat overpopulation by providing spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations and other medical care before the animals are safely returned to their communities.

"The community cats are definitely in a safer place after today," said Dan Cody, executive director of Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh.

"It gets them the needed vaccines and flea protection, rabies vaccine," said Michele Frennier, HARP's director of marketing and communications. "They'll get vaccines that protect them from respiratory diseases. Once they're back in that community, they're healthier as well."

Overpopulation remains a significant challenge among feral cat colonies and communities. Many cats live without permanent homes and often end up in already crowded shelters, contributing to the strain on rescues and neighborhoods with high numbers of unowned pets.

Through programs like the spay-a-thon, HARP estimates it can help prevent more than 50,000 future births.

"It takes every single aspect of this organization pulled together to pull something off like this," said Cody.

The event relies heavily on volunteers and community members who dedicate hours to caring for community cats.

"It really talks to the dedication of those volunteers in our community who are really inspired to care for these animals in our community," said Frennier.

Many of the cats participating in the event were trapped and transported by Good Samaritans who monitor feral cat populations in their neighborhoods. In some cases, a single caretaker brought in 40 community cats.

Once the cats arrive at HARP, staff quickly check them in, perform the necessary procedures and return them safely to their caretakers and communities.

"This is just one of those events that makes us feel so great because it is a community-wide event. We're so thankful. We as staff have been working on this for the last few months," said Cody.

HARP says the event serves as a reminder of the large number of homeless animals still living in communities throughout the region. 

With shelters continuing to operate at or near capacity, they encourage residents to consider adoption and support organizations with donations that contribute to events like spay-a-thon.