What is the Zimmer Foundation?

The Zimmer Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation (501c3) whose mission is to greatly reduce -- and eventually eliminate -- the use of euthanasia to control cat populations by replacing it with nonlethal methods such as feral cat management and free spay/neuter help for cats in lower-income families.  Our service area is centered in Ann Arbor, Michigan and extends out in a 25-mile radius into all of Washtenaw County and parts of Lenawee, Monroe, Wayne, Oakland, Livingston and Jackson Counties.

What is TLC/for The Love of Cats?

TLC is the name we've used to distinguish our cat programs -- we have three basic TLC programs:

1. TNR Program. Provides free spay/neuter vouchers to cats living outdoors.  Open to managed outdoor cats (yard or barn) that wander onto someone's property and take up residence (regardless of the caregiver's family income) - provided they have property owner permission to live out their lives in their outdoor habitat and a committed long-term caregiver providing food, water and dry outdoor shelter.

2. Snip 'N Chip Program. Provides free spay/neuter vouchers to adopted indoor cats.  Open to indoor pet cats living in long-term homes with household incomes under $40,000 per year.

3. Veterinary Scholarship Program. Provides grants to outstanding veterinary students focused on cat medicine -- particularly illnesses of elderly companion cats.  Up to one new scholarship of a maximum of $20,000 can be awarded each year.

Why is your focus on sterilizing cats rather rescuing homeless cats?

We did rescue homeless cats when we first started this program.  However we quickly found that rescuing/sheltering cats is futile so long as nearly half our total cat population -- those homeless and living outdoors -- and another 15% of our indoor pet cat population -- those living in homes with the very young, the very old and families with limited incomes -- continue to reproduce.

No shelter can house the flood of new kittens born to these cats each year.  In Washtenaw County alone, 5-7 cats are euthanized each day simply because there are no homes for them -- and this has been the case for many years.  Rescue and sheltering do nothing to stop this problem -- and can do nothing until the birth rate is brought more in line with available homes.  And only sterilization can accomplish this

How is TLC staffed?

We have no paid-staff or brick-and-mortar office.  Our work is done by phone, fax and mail -- and essentially facilitates in-place cat caregivers to follow-through with getting their cats sterilized and vaccinated.  Veterinary work is performed by independent veterinary clinics throughout our service area.  In 2006 we worked through about 45 different clinics to sterilize about 1,800 cats.  Anyone interested in volunteering can help us by putting our poster on community bulletin boards.

Why does the pet cat program have an income limit but the TNR program does not?

Outdoor cats that wander onto someone's property and take up residence have few options.  If the property owner "rescues" the cat by taking him or her to a local shelter or rescue, the odds are very small that the cat will get a permanent home (because of the large number of friendly kittens available for adoption) and all too often it will be euthanized as "unadoptable".  If the property owner will allow the cat to live in its outdoor home providing food, water and dry shelter, the cat(s) can generally live a nice long life.  Because the property owner did not choose to have the cat(s) there in the first place, we waive our income test to ensure that the cats not only are allowed to continue living but that they will not reproduce and further exacerbate the situation.  As a bonus, these outdoor cats establish what we call "kitten free" zones where other roaming cats will be fended off keeping the area kitten-free as long as the sterilized cats remain in place.

A pet cat -- living indoors as a companion -- is a choice the caregiver makes -- to provide a cat with a permanent indoor home.  Generally the bills of companion cats belong to the caregiver.  Our Snip 'N Chip program helps families who can afford the day-to-day costs of their pet cats but not the front-end charge of sterilizing them.

How do the Spay/Neuter Vouchers work?

The procedure is simple:

1. A client calls us for an application, fills out and returns it.  The applications are available online -- see SNC program or TNR program.

2. If the application is approved (i.e., the TNR colonies will be actively manged; the SNC pets have a committed, lower-income caregiver), we send the client vouchers specifying the work to be done (sterilization and vaccinations) and guaranteeing payment to a specified clinic.

3. The client makes an appointment with that clinic, has the work done, the clinic bills us and we pay.  Most clinics fax the bills to us and we typically mail payment the next day.

Cats can be safely sterilized as young as 2 months and 2 pounds -- this is standard practice in many large shelters that require sterilization prior to adoption.  Among the independent vets we use, several will sterilize at 3 months and 3 pounds.  Since cats can be capable of reproduction as early as 4 months, we advocate early sterilization.

How do you choose the veterinary clinic to issue the spay/neuter voucher to?

We specify the clinic to be used based on the price the clinic is providing us, tempered somewhat by client convenience (driving distance).

Why are your spay/neuter programs free instead of low-cost?

The cats we are targeting (loosely-owned outdoor cats and lower-income pet cats) come from the two sectors of cats that are typically not sterilized -- studies have shown that the best way to change this is to do the sterilizations for free.  For those who want to use our service but have some funding to pay part of the cost, we encourage donations to our program to expand the numbers of cats we can fix.

How is TLC different from other cat welfare programs?

Most cat welfare programs deal with the rescue and adoption (when possible) of homeless cats.  They are typically inundated with requests to take cats and can actually adopt out only a fraction of the homeless cats -- others are turned away (no-kill shelters) or euthanized (animal control and humane societies).  We believe that the most humane way to ensure that all cats have good homes is to greatly reduce the population of available cats through the nonlethal method of spay/neuter.

If I fill out an application for spay/neuter vouchers, how long will it take to get them?

That depends largely on you.  Applications are typically mailed the day after they are requested.  And vouchers are typically mailed the day after the application is received back at our office.  On average, the process takes about 7-10 days but can be sped up by faxing the application and completing it the day it is received.

Can I choose the vet clinic I go to?

Possibly.  Our application provides a space for applicants to request a particular clinic.  This has been our most effective way to identify new clinics we can use to service our spay/neuter clients.  If the clinic you request is one that we already work with we will definitely send you to them.  If it's one that we don't regularly work with, we'll call them to request a quote and if their pricing is in line with our average pricing we will send you to them as well.  If not, or if you have no preference, we'll send you to the closest clinic we have to your home.  In most instances the vet will be less than 15 miles away.

How many vouchers can I apply for?

To participate in our program we require that you apply for vouchers for all of your unsterilized cats -- male and female -- and that you make a diligent effort to get them all fixed on a timely basis.  Sterilizing only some of a group defeats our purpose of creating kitten-free zones.  If you have more than 3 cats, you'll receive an initial mailing of 3 vouchers and as you redeem them, we'll replace them with more until all the cats on your application are fixed.

What if more cats show up after I fix my original group of cats?

Call us -- sometimes if it's just 1 or 2 cats and you have recently completed your initial group, we will send you more vouchers without additional paper work.  If it's been some time or if there are a lot of cats we may require you to fill out an application addendum first.

Do you pay for vaccinations for my cats?

Our spay/neuter vouchers include the cost of one rabies and one FVRCP (Distemper/URI) vaccination.  We do not cover the cost of booster shots and only cover vaccinations for cats that will be sterilized.

Do you pay for pain medication for my cats?

No.  Surgeries are done under anesthesia and if the vet determines the cat is in pain afterward, will administer a pain medicine injection.  Any post-op pain medication you give at home is not covered by our vouchers.

Do I need to bring my cat back to get stitches removed?

Our TNR program specifies dissolvable stitches so the outdoor cats do not need to be brought in for a second vet trip.  Pet cat vouchers do not dictate the type of stitches and so the vet will advise you of their practice.

Can we sterilize a pregnant or in-heat cat?

Yes -- our vouchers cover the additional cost of sterilizing a cat that is pregnant or in-heat.  There is more risk with these surgeries so we leave the final decision to the cat guardian and the veterinarian as to whether to proceed or not.

Can I have my pet cat declawed during the spay/neuter surger?

No.  Our vouchers do not cover the cost of declawing and the procedure cannot be done if our voucher is being used for the spay/neuter surgery.  Declawing is an elective surgery and we do not encourage it.

Will my cat stop spraying urine after being sterilized?

In most cases sterilizing a cat will stop the spraying behavior.  In some cases behavior modification may be needed as well.  Spraying is a normal cat activity that is greatly reduced by sterilization.