Building a No Kill Community

Spay - Neuter

Intervention Programs

In the pre-Katrina greater New Orleans metropolitan area, over three million dollars was spent on animal control every year:  our local shelters handled approximately 45,000 dogs and cats of which 70% were destroyed.  Shamefully, that means that an average of 600 animals were killed every week!  Recent years had seen an explosion of veterinary hospitals that provide low cost or discounted spay/neuter services to the general public, but some pet owners still cannot afford the cost.  Studies have show that typically 90% of all animals in animal shelters are there because their owners cannot afford even basic veterinary care.  Even worse are those owners who can afford the cost, but put a low priority on sterilizing their pets.  Then there are those kind-hearted souls who feed stray cats - making them healthy enough to have huge litters - but can't afford to have them fixed.   

The St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter and Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Bernard, feel that our community has a choice on how we handle the pet overpopulation problem in St. Bernard Parish; we can either fix animals or kill them!  Since 1995 Friends has provided spay/neuter services for low-income owners and has been rewarded by a steady seven-year decline in the numbers of unwanted dogs and puppies entering our local animal shelter.  However, after an ititial four-year decline in cats and kittens, we have been experiencing an alarming upward trend of felines entering our shelter.

Our original SNIP program will continue, but has been changed to a voucher system, which gives the participants more veterinary hospitals to choose from.  Thanks to donations and a grant from the Meraux Estate, Friends' goal is to provide programs that make spay and neuter available to everyone caring for a pet.

The SNIP Fund provides vouchers to pet owners who are either retired or on public assistance.  The SNIP Voucher, when used at a participating low cost surgery clinic, will cover most - if not all - of the cost of the operation.  Local (full price) veterinary hospitals participate by allowing owners to use the voucher as a discount of the hospital's regular surgery fees.  The value of the voucher is usually between $35.00 and $55.00 and may be applied for by contacting the St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter at 278-1535.  Click here for a copy of the application.

To address the problem of the cat overpopulation explosion, Friends of the Animal Shelter has developed Operation CatSnip which brings a spay/neuter bus to St. Bernard Parish two to three times each month, exclusively for cats.  Any resident of the parish may participate by calling the animal shelter at 278-1535 for an appointment.  The cost is $10.00 minimum, which covers a rabies vaccination and license.  We request a $35.00 donation to cover the cost of the surgery, but we will not refuse any cat.  Friends has also purchased humane traps and holding cages and is encouraging residents to trap neighborhood cats as well as ferals to be sterilized and released.    

Friends Home Page

Shelter's Home Page

Low Cost Spay/Neuter List

Become a Friend

Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Bernard, Inc.

P.O. Box 1095

Chalmette, LA  70044

504 278-1535

Thanks to an extremely

generous grant from the ASPCA, residents of St. Bernard Parish are eligible for free spay and neuter services for their pets and feral cats through SpayLouisiana.

Call the shelter for more information or to apply for a voucher (228-1093).