My name is Mary Raiti, and I am a freelance independent cat rescuer in New York’s Capital Region. My rescue partner, Victoria Lopez, and I trap, foster and fund the low cost vetting of about 10-20 strays per month. I adopt friendly cats out directly, or via the help of my local shelter network. I practice trap, neuter, vaccinate, and return for true feral cats. I am seeking donations to help fundraise for the cost of spay/neuter appointments which range between $50-$120 a visit, depending on the clinic. I usually have around 16 appointments per month, equaling around $1,100 in total. I deeply care about the stray community, and am dedicated to decreasing cat overpopulation using spay/neuter services as a form of harm reduction. Spaying and neutering community cats helps to elongate their lifespan, decreasing risks of certain cancers and other health issues. Spaying one female cat prevents the birth of hundreds to thousands of cats. Because cats multiply exponentially, a single un-spayed female and her offspring can theoretically result in over 2,000 kittens in just 4 years, and up to 4,948 kittens in 7 years. Spaying just one cat prevents hundreds to thousands of others who are in need of food, shelter, loving homes, and other resources that are not abundantly available. If you are interested in supporting this cause, please donate! Your local strays will thank you.

Here is a more in depth breakdown of how your donations may be utilized to help better the lives of local cats and kittens:

-Fostering expenses for friendly cats prior to their spay/neuter appts (initial vetting: rabies/distemper vaccine, microchip (in some cases), spay/neuter services, dewormer, flea prevention, SNAP test (tests for FeLV and FIV)), medication if needed, vet bills (if a cat is ill or injured), wet and dry food, litter, etc. Please note: all cats in my care will be fixed as soon as possible, regardless of pregnancy status. Stray females dedicate most of their lives to having litter after litter of kittens (many who do not survive), so if I can minimize this risk for them I am certainly going to. All friendly cats will be adopted out to good homes directly or via our local shelter network! Donations are always appreciated (my Venmo is @Mary-Raiti for ongoing contributions).

-TNVR (trap neuter vaccinate return) services for feral cats. If a cat in my care is found to be truly feral, it is most humane to release them back outside to a safe space once they are fixed. Any feral cat released back outside must have an established community member that feeds and provides water on a daily basis to ensure they are cared for. If a trapped feral did not come from an established colony or it is not safe to release them back to their previous living space, a barn home will be located for them to live out their lives safely with the resources they need. I do not have the capacity at the moment to socialize a feral cat, as this can be a lengthy process and true ferals prefer to be outdoors as opposed to in the company of a human. However, getting ferals fixed is IMPERATIVE to ensure the overwhelming population of outdoor cats does not keep increasing, as this leaves them without the food, resources, and shelter they need.

-Vetting costs/cat supplies for individuals who would like to foster on their own, but do not otherwise have the financial means to do so. As much as I love caring for cats in my own home, I want to encourage independence/help others build the necessary skillset to self-sufficiently pursue rescue work! The more available space we have, the more cats we can serve.