California Group Hosts First-Ever Veterinary Training to Expand Spay/Neuter Access in the Bay Area
San Jose, CA (April 30, 2025) — As free-roaming cat populations continue to challenge communities across California, a local grassroots organization is stepping up to help expand access to critical spay/neuter services. Bay Area Cats, a volunteer-led group dedicated to humane solutions for community cats and accessible pet spay/neuter, is hosting its first-ever training event – bringing much-needed surgical skills to the San Francisco Bay Area.
In partnership with United Spay Alliance, the hands-on training will take place on May 4, 2025 at the San Jose Animal Care Center. The shelter is playing a key role by providing surgical space, supplies, and a veterinarian experienced in high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) to help lead the training. In collaboration with Bay Area Cats and their network of volunteer trappers, the shelter team is also assisting with check-ins and logistics for the approximately 50 cats scheduled for surgery.
The day-long event offers licensed veterinarians the opportunity to gain experience with high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) techniques that improve surgical efficiency and safety – skills that are vital to meeting the growing demand for affordable veterinary care in the region.
“While we’ve spent years focused on trap-neuter-return (TNR) for community cats, we’ve seen firsthand how limited access to spay/neuter services can bottleneck progress,” said Vanessa Forney of Bay Area Cats. “Hosting a training like this is new territory for us – but we knew it was needed. By helping veterinarians build these key skills, we’re investing in long-term solutions for our community.”
The training brings together a team of expert HQHVSN veterinarians and experienced clinic staff who will mentor participants in best practices that prioritize both patient well-being and clinic efficiency.
Collaboration for Capacity-Building
United Spay Alliance, a national nonprofit focused on expanding access to affordable spay/neuter services, is supporting Bay Area Cats in coordinating the event. This will be the thirteenth training facilitated by United Spay Alliance across the country, and the first-ever in California.
Increasing capacity and access to affordable spay/neuter is incredibly important in California, as shelters took in nearly 337,000 cats and kittens in 2024, according to Shelter Animals Count. Sadly, nearly 56,000 of these had non-live outcomes, including euthanasia, and those who died or were lost in care. This is all in addition to an unknown, uncounted number of free-roaming cats who exist outside of shelter statistics.
“California has an incredible demand for affordable spay/neuter services, which makes trainings like this essential,” said Brianna Lovell Myers, Executive Director of United Spay Alliance. “We’re honored to support Bay Area Cats in bringing this opportunity to their community. Their passion and dedication prove that you don’t need to be a veterinarian – or even affiliated with a spay/neuter clinic – to make a real impact. You just need the drive to make it happen.”
The San Jose training underscores the power of local and national collaboration in addressing pet homelessness and increasing veterinary capacity – and proves that anyone with a vested interest can make a difference for spay/neuter in their community.
What’s Next
United Spay Alliance continues its mission to bring HQHVSN training to regions across the country, with its next stop in Indiana this June. For more information about upcoming trainings or to learn how to get involved, visit unitedspayalliance.org/hqhvsn-wet-labs.
About Bay Area Cats
Bay Area Cats is dedicated to reducing the number of unfixed cats in the community by addressing overpopulation at its source through targeted trap-neuter-return (TNR), pet spay/neuter, and large-scale trapping efforts. Bay Area Cats believes in community outreach and education, providing local TNR workshops, door-to-door outreach, and community support. Bay Area Cats focuses on entire neighborhoods in targeted areas, ensuring the majority of the pet and feral cats are sterilized using cameras and effective trapping techniques. Since 2021 in Sunnyvale, this approach has resulted in over 40% reduction of cats and kittens entering the shelter and a significant decrease in help requests from the community. Learn more at bayareacats.org or follow @BayAreaTNR on Instagram and @BayAreaCats on Facebook.
About United Spay Alliance
United Spay Alliance (USA) envisions a future where every cat and dog has a loving home. We work to make this a reality by championing affordable, accessible, and timely spay/neuter services. Through proactive prevention, we aim to stop animal suffering before it begins. USA maintains a nationwide directory of low-cost spay/neuter services , fosters collaboration through the State Leader Network, and empowers veterinarians with programs like HQHVSN wet labs and Feline Fix by Five. In 2024, USA launched United We Spay, a monthly podcast sharing inspiring stories from the spay/neuter movement. Learn more at unitedspayalliance.org or follow @UnitedSpayAlliance on Facebook and Instagram.
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