CARMA Fredericton began a Trap-Neuter-Return for feral cat colonies in the Greater Fredericton area in 2007. Since then we have spayed or neutered more than 6,000 cats.
To achieve our goal of 500 spay/neuters annually, we adopted a large-scale clinic model for our feral spay/neuter program, using trained volunteers and donated veterinary services. Local veterinary hospitals host these events, enabling us to spay/neuter 60 or more cats in in one morning. Most years we stage at least four clinics. The remainder of our spay/neuter surgeries are carried out through individual appointments with local veterinarians at reduced rates.
Nearly 200 volunteers from the Greater Fredericton community actively participate in the work of the chapter. Clinics require 25-30 volunteers at the hospital plus the services of several trapping teams and a roster of caregivers for the cats before and after surgery. As we have no facility of our own, the clinic cats are held for several days in a suitable space loaned for the occasion.
Our volunteers include several dozen foster families for those cats and kittens brought into our foster/adoption program from unsafe sites. Other volunteers transport cats for appointments and deliver supplies to foster families and colony sites. A volunteer builds winterized shelters of various designs for feral colonies. A committee works year-round to raise the necessary funds.
It takes a community! Join us! You will learn some new skills, met some great human beings, encounter unforgettable cats. The CARMA experience will change you as it changes life for the cats and the neighborhoods they live in.