Successful Sterilization of First 2 Cats

Thanks to our generous donors, the first two cats got sterilized and vaccinated this weekend through our Cat Care Program.

I've decided to name these cats Tom and Gerrah, as a tribute to Tom Harris and Gerrah Selby, two amazing, inspiring activists I met last year at the International Animal Rights Conference in Luxembourg.

Tom and Gerrah – the cats, not the activists – live in my yard in Sololaki and are very tame. In fact, they often come into my apartment to steal some of my cat's food and lie on the cool tiled floor to escape the brutal summer heat. That's why I chose them as the first two cats to get sterilized through the Cat Care Program: I knew I would have no problem getting them inside the carriers and also keeping them at home to recover after the surgery.

I initially reached out to Mayhew Georgia, as I know they sterilize stray animals for free, but unfortunately they focus on dogs, so I had to find an alternative. I came upon an organization called Catebi that seemed like a good option, so I decided to give it a try.

I met up with the Catebi volunteer and dropped off the cats Saturday at 7 p.m. They were scheduled for surgery on Sunday at Aibolit Clinic, in Rustavi.

Ear-tipping is a common practice here when sterilizing stray cats (dogs get an ear tag instead). Before leaving Tom and Gerrah with the Catebi volunteer on Saturday, I told her I didn't want them to cut Tom's ear, as he is well-known by all the neighbors (plus, as he is a male, you can just look at his backside and see he's been neutered), but that it would be good to clip Gerrah's ear, as she is a very young cat and fairly new to the neighborhood.

After I left, I messaged the Catebi volunteer just to remind her not to cut Tom's ear. She confirmed that she had left a note on his carrier.

I also left two cones so that the cats would not be able to lick and reopen their wounds after waking up from the surgery.

On Sunday, they told me the cats wouldn't be back from the vet clinic until the evening, so I did my usual weekly protest against Zootopia at Tbilisi Mall, and later in the afternoon Catebi messaged me that the cats would be back between 9 and 10 p.m. They got back to Catebi's "cat flat" at 10 p.m. and I arranged for a taxi to bring them to my place.

When I opened the carriers and let the cats out, I was shocked to see that they had clipped Tom's ear, and not Gerrah's, despite my clear instructions and reminder. I also found the cones in a plastic bag in Tom's carrier. Both cats were wide awake (it had been several hours since the surgeries) so they would've had plenty of time to lick their wounds and pull out the stitches.

They were both doing well though, and they have both recovered really fast, which is great.

Next time though, I will take the cats to the clinic myself, which will be a lot more convenient and less stressful. Catebi is a good option if you want the cats to stay in their "cat flat" instead of going straight back into the street after surgery, but personally I'd rather just bring them back to my own apartment.

For future sterilizations, I've been advised to go to ZooCity, but I'm open to other recommendations if you know a good vet clinic in Tbilisi that offers affordable care for stray cats!

Next on my list is this other calico girl. She's one of the 20 or so cats I've been feeding in my neighborhood. She's friendly and has a cute kitten who looks just like her. I'd like to get her spayed in the next couple of weeks, and if you'd like to help with her deworming, sterilization and vaccination, you are welcome to make a donation.

Thank you so much for your support, and stay tuned for further updates on the Care Cat Program and other campaigns!