Nonprofit Lynnwood spay and neuter clinic committed to improving lives of cats

As the number of feral and homeless cats continue to grow, Lynnwood-based nonprofit Feral Cat Spay and Neuter Project (FCSNP) is doing their part to address feline overpopulation while cultivating their own community of volunteers. 

Founded in 1997, FCSNP provides free spay/neuter services to trapped feral cats and reduced-cost services to owners who qualify financially. Even though they have treated more than 170,000 cats in their 30-year history, Executive Director Amy Ferguson said the percentage of feral cats the clinic sees has risen since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ferguson said she believes that FCSNP has stopped the reproduction of over a million cats in the Snohomish County area, taking pressure off the region’s already overstretched shelter systems. 

Owners who cannot afford to have their pets spayed or neutered can bring cats to the FCSNP clinic for reduced-cost treatment. If an owner qualifies financially, FCSNP will provide the procedure for $70, compared  to the $500 to $1,000 that most veterinary offices charge. In addition to supporting low-income owners, FCSNP provides free spay/neuter services to feral cats that have been trapped in Washington State. Though FCSNP does not trap feral cats themselves, they rent out traps and provide instruction on how to use them to those interested. 

According to the National Feline Research Council, feral cats are generally unowned, free-roaming cats, “especially those who are not socialized to humans either because they have never had human contact or because they have, over time, reverted to a ‘wilder’ state in the absence of human contact.” 

Said FCSNP’s Ferguson: “We’re here in order to make sure that cats aren’t reproducing and they’re not basically causing needless strain on the sheltering system.”

In addition to stopping unwanted reproduction, spaying or neutering allows cats to live a healthier life, according to FCSNP staff. Spaying eliminates female cats’ risk of life- threatening cancers and reproductive system infections. In male cats, neutering decreases a number of possible nuisance behaviors, including spraying, fighting, wandering and howling. 

“Spay and neuter is huge because it significantly improves the lives of cats,” said Lynnwood Clinic Manager Eudora Hawkes-Roach. “That’s been studied, the health of cats in the community increases significantly once they are spayed and neutered.” 

Lou Farthing, treasurer and secretary for Lynnwood-based nonprofit Whiskers In Need, brings cats to FCNSP to to be treated. 

“Spay and neuter hands down does almost guarantee a much longer life than would living out in the wild,” Farthing said. “It just means the cat is healthier too because there’s lots of medical conditions if they don’t get fixed or spayed.” 

Aside from the benefits to feline health, FCSNP hopes to have a positive impact on the environment through spaying, neutering and monitoring of local feral cat colonies. While searching for food, feral cats are known to negatively affect local wildlife populations, mainly ground-feeding birds. 

“We are really, truly helping to make sure that the cats that are out that have to live outside because they have no other choice are not going to reproduce and make more cats that cause environmental havoc,” Ferguson said. 

With a small team of paid veterinary staff and 100-plus volunteers split between their clinics in Lynnwood and Renton, FCSNP can treat up to 50 cats per day. 

“The interesting thing about Feral Cat Spay and Neuter Project is that we do rely heavily on volunteers,” Hawkes-Roach said. “We’ve created a community of cat advocates so everyone that’s here today is going to go into their community and spread the information that they’ve learned here about spay and neuter.” 

Former long-term FCSNP volunteer and current Communications and Engagement Coordinator Mila Webb said she was originally drawn to the organization because of the immediate, positive impact she could have on a cat’s life. 

“For the volunteers, they just love coming here and being a part of something bigger than themselves,”Ferguson said. “They love that they’re able to impact our mission and make the impact on the cats that they can.” 

About a year ago, FCSNP moved into a new building on Highway 99 in Lynnwood, doubling their clinic size. Ferguson said that her dream is that FCSNP can continue to grow and one day have the necessary resources to operate their clinics seven days a week. For those looking to become involved with FCSNP, Ferguson said they are always willing to take on and train future volunteers. 

“What we’re doing here is a first line of defense,” Ferguson said. “It is how we can prevent animals from going into a shelter and to me that is how we solve the problem.”