Julie Kaye remembers a time when there were a lot more homeless cats in Marin County: "Fifteen years ago, our shelter veterinary clinic was filled to the brim with kittens and adult cats from Marin waiting to be spayed and neutered."

Inspired by the local cat overpopulation crisis, Kaye established the Marin Humane Society's Cat Fund in 1992. Supported entirely by community contributions, the Cat Fund has helped to decrease the number of homeless cats and kittens in the community by supplementing and expanding shelter services.

Today, with a greatly reduced cat population, the Marin Humane Society is able to find homes for cats and kittens from other counties via its Pet Partnership program.

MHS has partnered with dozens of overcrowded shelters in Northern California to bring adoptable animals to Marin to find new homes. In fact, nearly a quarter of the more than 500 kittens adopted from MHS this year have been transferred to Marin from other regions.

"Because of the Cat Fund's generous support and an emphasis on community advocacy, we've made considerable progress at curbing feline overpopulation in Marin," says Kim Lanham-Snyder, director of animal services.

"The success of our spay/neuter programs can be attributed to a cooperative spirit between MHS, local feline rescue groups and a community that is deeply committed to the well-being of its cats."

Low-cost clinics

During January, May, August and November, the MHS Cat Fund sponsors low-cost spay and neuter clinics throughout Marin County. Since its inception in 1997, more than 4,000 feline spay/neuter surgeries have been performed. A willing collaboration between local vets and the Humane Society has been integral to the success of the program. The low-cost clinics began with support from two local veterinary hospitals.

Now, 10 years later, more than 15 local veterinary hospitals donate their time and facilities to perform spay/neuter surgeries at a greatly reduced fee.

Feral cat programs

They live in urban alleys, rural parks and suburban backyards. In fact, it's estimated that tens of millions of feral cats populate communities in the United States, and Marin County is no exception. Without human intervention, it doesn't take long for a local feral cat population to spin out of control. In fact, one female cat and her offspring, left not spayed or neutered, can produce 420,000 cats in just seven years!

The Marin Humane Society offers two options for sterilizing feral cats: a voucher program in conjunction with select veterinary hospitals and a low-cost spay/neuter package through the MHS clinic. Both programs rely on members of the community to help manage the county's feral cat population.

Ultimately, sterilized feral cats are released back into their original habitat by their willing caretaker. "There are a lot of people in Marin who are concerned about the welfare of feral cats," says Lanham-Snyder. "Our programs offer an effective, humane way to stabilize feral cat numbers."

For continued success, these programs will rely on the Marin community's support and participation. Says Kaye, "At some point, we'll be so used to seeing only spayed and neutered cats in Marin that one day you'll hear be exclaim in shock, 'Oh my goodness, she's pregnant!"

Carrie Harrington is the communications manager at the Marin Humane Society, which contributes Tails of Marin articles and welcomes animal-related questions and stories. Contact loveanimals@marinhumanesociety.org or write to Tails of Marin, 171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd. Novato 94949. For more information, call 883-4621 or go to www.marinhumanesociety.org.