Common Questions
What if I find an injured stray or feral cat that needs urgent veterinary care, but I can't or don't want to pay for treatment? >
What if I need to get my cat neutered or spayed and I can't afford it? >
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I find an injured stray or feral cat that needs urgent veterinary care, but I don't want to or can't pay for treatment?
Please always bring an injured cat in to your nearest veterinary surgery, as you will NOT have to pay for treatment if the cat is not your own. If a cat is not claimed, then the SSPCA will pay for its treatment, so please don't let an animal suffer unneccesarily.
What if I need to get my cat neutered or spayed and I can't afford it?
Cats Protection may be able to help with the cost of neutering your cat.
You can qualify for support if you are the owner of the cat that is to be neutered and also one of the following: A full-time student of if you are on means-tested benefit.
If your application is successful, you will be sent a voucher which must be given to your veterinary surgeon when your cat goes for its operation. The current value of the vouchers covers approximately 50% of the cost of neutering or spaying. You will need to pay the remaining amount yourself directly to the veterinary practice.
For more information please contact us through our contact page.
Multi-cat neutering
We may be able to offer financial assistance to help neuter groups of six or more cats in one household. Please contact us for more details about this scheme.
I don't like cats and think there's already too many of them in Orkney. Why should I care?
There ARE far too many unwanted cats in Orkney - neutering and spaying is a big part of what we do. All cats we rehome or release back into the community are neutered or spayed. The more money we raise, the more cats we can sterilise.
How do I know that the money I give you won't be wasted on personnel at head office?
Our workers are all unpaid volunteers. The money we raise is spent here in Orkney - the vast majority of it directly on caring for cats. Some of the rest goes toward further fundraising - for instance purchasing prizes for draws etc. We also spend a small amount on raising awareness of cat related issues. Our administration overhead is negligible - far less than 1% of all funds expended.
Aren't you doing what the SSPCA is meant to be doing?
By focusing on capturing, neutering and rehoming unwanted cats, we enable the SSPCA to focus on other types of animals and other issues - for instance cruelty and neglect. We
often home cats on behalf of the SSPCA (without any funding from them). By bringing stray/unwanted cat related issues directly to us you are freeing up time for SSPCA's officer
and saving distress to the cat/kitten from unnecessary movements and transfers.