Stray cats can get free spay/neuter, thanks to Daphne Foundation

BREVARD COUNTY — There will never be a shortage of stray cats, but residents can make an impact by helping them get spayed and neutered.

The Daphne Foundation offers these free services when a resident brings a stray cat to the Brevard Humane Society in Cocoa or the Brevard Spay/Neuter Clinic in Palm Bay.

The only exclusions of this service are to individuals and rescue groups/shelters that charge an adoption or rehoming fee for cats and kittens.

The Daphne Foundation began in May 1999, thanks to the generosity of Bob and Nancy Allen, two passionate cat lovers.

When Mr. Allen came into an inheritance from his sister, he pooled some of his own money together to start the foundation to help the vulnerable and voiceless residents – our strays.

“I volunteered at the county shelter, and I saw the great need to spay/neuter,” Mrs. Allen said. “All these unwanted animals came in and had a hard time finding homes.”

The Daphne Foundation is looking to partner with more providers who can help with spay/neuter services. Even if they are willing to do other veterinary services or two low-cost spays/neuters on a monthly basis, it would help pick up the slack.

Kitten season can be overwhelming for shelters as volunteers take home kittens to be fostered and adopted week after week. If more organizations could get on board to help spay and neuter these cats and kittens, it lessens the suffering of them in the wild.

According to Ralph Lombard, director of the Daphne Foundation, one in five kittens born in the wild only make it past six months of age, while most others will die of disease or starvation or will be killed by predators.

“There’s a lot of cats out there that need help and if everybody pulls together, we could make a difference,” Lombard said.

Since October 2020, the Daphne Foundation has provided spay and neuter services for approximately 4,500 cats and kittens.

There are a couple of organizations that provide instruction and traps to individuals who want to help get feral cats and kittens spayed and neutered before releasing them back into the wild.

“We’ve got some very dedicated people who are determined trappers who spend most of their days trying to get as many cats trapped, spayed, neutered and returned, or if they’re friendly, adopted out,” Lombard said.

The Daphne Foundation takes calls from residents who find stray cats with kittens and don’t know what to do. The Daphne Foundation will get the mother cat spayed while some organizations may take in the kittens if they’re young enough to be socialized and adopted out, after they’ve been spayed/neutered and vaccinated.

There are passionate residents who are already doing an amazing job trapping, fostering and caring for these animals. Anyone looking to make a difference would be a welcome addition.

Inquiries regarding, or scheduling of appointments, may be made directly to Brevard Spay Neuter Clinic at (321) 724-1141 or Brevard Humane Society at (321) 636-3343, Press 1.

Other inquiries may be submitted via email to DaphneFoundationFL@gmail.com.