The “Neuterville Express” (purely metaphorical) provides transportation for cats to and from the spay/neuter clinic in Cincinnati. (CONTRIBUTED BY OHIO ALLEYCAT RESOURCE)
Cat overpopulation is a continued problem in our community and across the country.
The Animal Friends Humane Society, the only open admission shelter in Butler County, takes in over 5,000 cats every year, according to Meg Stephenson, the director of the shelter.
Cats can reproduce at as early as six months. They may reproduce up to three times a year, bearing between four and six kittens each time, according to Stephenson.
The Ohio Alleycat Resource and Spay/Neuter Clinic is taking measures to address Oxford's cat problem. Their project, "Neuterville Express" has been in action since this summer, but now the organization is reaching out to Miami University students. The program is a low-cost transportation initiative, which takes cats out of Oxford to be spayed or neutered in their clinic in Madisonville near the Kenwood Towne Center.
"That's kind of a haul from Oxford," said Charlotte White-Hull, director of outreach and marketing. "People from all over greater Cincinnati face that issue."
Registered owners can drop off their cats at Whistle Stop Drive Thru, 304 W. Collins St., between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. and pick them up in the same place the next day around 9:00 or 10:00 a.m., White-Hull said. The bus comes to Oxford once a month.
The service costs $35, plus an additional $10 if the cat needs a rabies vaccination. However, the price can be lower. The clinic provides vouchers for interested patrons who need help. If students book at least two weeks in advance, the clinic can provide a voucher that may take $25-30 off the cost.
"I know having been a student I didn't have very much discretionary income," White-Hull said. "We try to make [spaying or neutering your cat] as easy as possible. It's so easy, it's almost hard not to do it."
The clinic is operated by fully licensed veterinarians and veterinary technicians. It is accredited by the Humane Alliance, which allows them access to special surgical techniques to safely and quickly perform the operation.
The clinic performs about 9,000 surgeries per year and can treat up to 50 cats a day, according to White-Hull.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
"We only do one thing, spay and neuter, and vaccinations. This keeps prices low and allows us to spay and neuter quickly," White-Hull said.
This is the first time that the clinic is reaching out to students.
"Off-campus students have a lot of cats that they've taken in. This is something they might be able to use," White-Hull said. "It's not anything glamorous, but it's necessary."
Junior Vincent Kuertz said sometimes it is hard as a cat owner to spay or neuter their cat.
"Even though it's the right thing to do, doing that to an animal that you really love and often humanize, is hard. I wouldn't want someone doing that to me," he said.
Stephenson said spaying or neutering is the best thing a cat owner can do.
"There are plenty of cats and kittens in this world," Stephenson said. "Bringing more into this world is not helping animal welfare at all."
According to White-Hull, the clinic held Monday had been sold out, but the bus will return to the Whistle Stop Drive Thru on Monday, Nov. 14.
Students can get more information or reserve a spot for their cat on the Neuterville Express by calling (513) 871-0185 or visiting www.neutervilleexpress.com
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.