Volunteer clinic Purr Angels asks Yreka for financial support to expand free feral-cat spay/neuter services

Jan Sinnott, director of the volunteer nonprofit Purr Angels, asked the Yreka City Council on July 21 to consider providing financial support for the group's free feral-cat spay-and-neuter clinics in Yreka.

Sinnott told council members Purr Angels was established in 2006 and is the only Siskiyou County clinic focused on feral-cat spay/neuter work without charging a fee for that service. She described a largely volunteer operation that runs monthly clinics; staff and volunteer veterinarians have enabled the organization to reach a recent goal of 40'50 cats per month. "We do not require a fee or payment to spay and neuter cats," Sinnott said, adding that many feeders and volunteers in town monitor colonies and bring animals to the clinic.

Sinnott provided program statistics: since 2006 Purr Angels has conducted over 180 free clinics and said it has spayed and neutered more than 7,200 cats and kittens. She listed per-cat medical costs (anesthesia, rabies and other vaccines, pain medicine, fluids, dewormer and parasite prevention) at roughly $50 as the group's minimal cost estimate for the clinic-level supplies; Sinnott said a monthly run of 40 cats yields a minimal consumables cost of about $2,000. She also noted a local volunteer had trapped more than 228 cats over a two-to-three-year span in Yreka and that Purr Angels covers trap rental and other expenses for residents who cannot pay.

Sinnott said the group relies on donations from prior and current clients and has not had government grant support. She asked the council to consider a spay/neuter grant or donation "one time, once a year, once a month, any of that," saying it would help residents who cannot afford veterinary fees. Council members asked follow-up questions about the time span for the $11,400 minimal cost figure Sinnott cited (she said that represented a couple of years of cumulative minimal costs) and whether the group had a specific dollar request (Sinnott said not a specific figure beyond the monthly minimal cost example).

No formal motion or city funding decision was made at the meeting; the presentation concluded after council questions and brief public-comment follow-up.