Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Zimmer Foundation?

We are a private operating foundation (501(c) 3) established in 1980. From 2000-2009 we provided free cat spay/neuter vouchers to cats living in southeastern Michigan through our TLC/for The Love of Cats programs. TLC sterilized about 13,000 cats in the two groups most at risk of not getting sterilized otherwise: naturally-occurring colonies of feral and stray cats and pet cats in lower-income families.

In 2010 we moved to New Mexico where we offer two distinct cat spay/neuter programs — one a Lower-Income Cat-Spay/Neuter Program and the other a Feral Colony Management Program.

We are exclusively a grass-roots organization with no physical building or paid staff. The cat caregivers handle getting their own cats to/from surgery appointments and the work is performed by veterinary clinics located in our service area. Our role is primarily that of bill payer.
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2. Why does my cat need to be fixed?

There are lots of excellent reasons why your cat should be fixed — to stop the killing of homeless cats in shelters — which is estimated in the millions annually — to be a "responsible pet owner" by ensuring your cat isn't reproducing — and to be a good caregiver by lowering your cat's risk of preventable illnesses such as uterine infections or mammary, uterine and ovarian tumors.

But, even if you don't care a whit about helping cats for these reasons, you still should get your cats fixed — for your own benefit. Sterilization is safe and is the best way to ensure that you'll enjoy your cat for life. Otherwise, the cute and cuddly kitten you fell in love with will quickly mature sexually and develop behaviors that make it difficult for them to live in your home. Neutered male cats are less likely to spray — and if they do spray — the odor is less noxious. Spayed female cats no longer yowl because they no longer go into heat every two weeks from March to November — and if they have outdoor access -— they no longer get pregnant. With their hormones in check, sterilized cats are calmer, friendlier and better long-term companions than their unsterilized counterparts.
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3. How old should my cats be when I have them fixed?

Cats can be safely sterilized as young as 8 weeks and 2 pounds — this is the standard practice at many large animal shelters that require sterilization prior to adoption. In private veterinary practice, the age of sterilization varies but most will fix cats at 12 weeks and 3 pounds. Since cats can reproduce at 16 weeks, we recommend sterilization before that age.
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4. Can I get my cat fixed while she's in heat, pregnant or nursing kittens?

Yes. Depending on the veterinarian, a cat can be spayed at any time provided she is in overall good health. If you suspect your cat is pregnant, make sure to spay her as quickly as possible — the more pregnant she is, the more complicated the surgery. Some vets will fix nursing mom cats after the kittens are a few weeks old and give them back quickly so they don't miss too many feedings, but most vets require that the mother be done nursing and that her milk has dried up — a process that takes a few days after the kittens are weaned. Check with your vet before scheduling the surgery. For outdoor cats we recommend bringing litters of kittens indoors to socialize for adoption at 4-5 weeks of age — when they're able to eat on their own — and to separate them from the mom (if she's feral). Once the kittens are indoors, spay the mom quickly — nursing moms are often already pregnant with their next litter.
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5. Can I get my cat declawed while she's being fixed using one of your spay/neuter vouchers?

If you plan on declawing your cat, please don't apply for a voucher. Declawing is an elective surgery — no cat "needs" to be declawed. We don't endorse the practice and won't honor vouchers for cats that are declawed — even when the caregiver pays the additional cost for the procedure. You can reasonably control your cat's scratching by keeping their nails trimmed with toe-nail clippers and providing them with scratching posts.
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6. Do I have to make under a certain amount of money to apply for a spay/neuter voucher?

That depends on the program. Our Lower-Income Program works only with families whose gross annual income (for all the adults in the home combined) is under $40,000. Our Feral Colony Management Program has no limit on family income, but does have many other requirements for qualification.
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7. Do I have to live in Santa Fe County to apply for spay/neuter vouchers?

Our primary focus is Santa Fe County, but we can often help with eligible cats in adjacent counties — particularly Rio Arriba, San Miguel and Torrance counties.
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8. How do I apply for spay/neuter vouchers?

The procedure is simple. Applications and program requirements are online. Read the Application Directions carefully to determine if you qualify and if you do, fill out the application and submit it to us with any required attachments.

Alternatively, you may apply for our Lower-Income Program simply by calling us at 505-466-1676 during weekday business hours to fill out an application over the phone.

In some instances we may need additional information beyond the application itself to approve your cat(s) for vouchers. In these instances we'll notify you promptly of what we need (typically a copy to the 1st page of your most recent federal income tax return) and will hold your application pending its receipt.
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9. If I apply for spay/neuter vouchers, how long will it be before my cat(s) are fixed?

We have no waiting list, so if you provide a complete application and meet our program requirements, you'll receive a voucher from us within 3-5 business days of when you apply. The voucher will tell you which veterinary clinic to call for your appointment and in most instances the surgery can be scheduled within 7-10 days of your call. Each voucher we issue carries an expiration date — typically 30 days from the date it was issued. It's important that you set up your appointment as soon as you receive the voucher to ensure you will have time to do the work before the voucher expires. We don't re-issue vouchers if they expire without being redeemed.
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10. What if I can't catch my outdoor cats to get them fixed?

If you are providing outdoor cats with daily food and water, you should be able to live-trap them for sterilization. Details on feeding routines and live trapping are in our Feral Cat Management Handbook.
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11. How many spay/neuter vouchers can I receive?

We have a lifetime limit of 6 vouchers per household for our Lower-Income Program and 20 for our Feral Colony Management Program.
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12. Can I apply more than once for spay/neuter vouchers?

Whether or not you can apply for more spay/neuter vouchers depends on how many you have previously received. You can reapply of Lower-Income Program vouchers only if you have previously received fewer than 6 and for the Feral Colony Management Program only if you have previously received fewer than 20. Re-applications are accepted only if you previously complied with all program requirements. Re-applications are not accepted if you previously received vouchers and failed to use them.
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13. How do you select the veterinary clinic to issue a spay/neuter voucher to?

We publish a list of participating clinics on the face of each spay/neuter voucher we issue. You simply select the clinic most convenient to you and call them to make an appointment. We recommend that you do that on your receipt of the vouchers as it may take several days to secure the appoinment and the vouchers cannot be used after their expiration date.
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14. What work does the spay/neuter voucher cover?

Our vouchers cover the complete cost to spay or neuter the cats (including any extra charges for pregnant, in-heat or nursing females or cryptorchid males) and one vaccination for rabies provided it can be done at the time of sterilization. Any other services or products that you authorize the clinic to provide are your responsibility to pay. To be eligible for our payment, the voucher must be given to the vet clinic when the cat is dropped off for surgery.
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15. If my cat was fixed before I knew about your program can you reimburse me for the cost if I meet the program qualifications?

We're sorry but we can only pay for work done after an application has been submitted to us and a voucher has been issued. Payments are made directly to the veterinary clinic after receipt of both their bill and a copy of our voucher.
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16. What happens if I lose my voucher?

Please make sure you notify us as soon as you realize your voucher is missing. If you have an appointment scheduled, we can often mail a replacement so that you can still keep your appointment.
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17. What happens if my voucher expires before I use it?

It's extremely important that you only apply for a voucher when you are ready to use it and will call the veterinary clinic immediately on receipt of it to schedule your appointment so that you can get the work done before the voucher expires. We do not reissue vouchers that expire.
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18. If I'm not approved for vouchers, where else can I get my cats fixed?

As much as we would like to issue vouchers for all cats, we are limited in the numbers of cats we can fix and consequently limit our assistance to those situations most fully satisfying our program requirements. If you have intact cats and don't receive vouchers from us, here are a few suggestions:

Visit the directory of New Mexico spay/neuter programs compiled by the APNM Foundation.
Google low-cost spay/neuter programs with the name of your city to find other programs in your area.
Call your local veterinary clinics and ask if they know of any programs that can help. Programs like ours tend to involve the private veterinarians so they know the organizations that do spay/neuter work.
If there aren't programs that can help, get quotes from vet clinics that will spay or neuter cats without requiring other service be done at the same time. This can drop the price considerably from what is originally quoted. The other work (e.g., vaccinations, viral testing, de-worming, can be done at a later date.
Ask your veterinary clinic if they accept the Care Credit card. If you qualify for it, you can pay the cost to Care Credit often with little or no interest. Many vets keep the applications in their office.

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19. Do you help pay veterinary bills for sick or injured cats? No. Our work is limited expressly to spay/neuter. You may find help at IMOM.org.
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20. Will you take cats for adoption?

No — we do not do any form of cat rescue. For assistance with cat adoptions, visit Petfinder.com on the Internet and you can search for rescues and shelters by zip code.
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