August 10, 2026
An opinion piece from Stacy LeBaron, co-owner of Community Cat Clinics, and United Spay Alliance Board Member
To every veterinarian, technician, and support staff member helping cats and dogs in your community every single day — thank you. We don’t say it enough, but everyone at United Spay Alliance appreciates the hard work you put in, day after day.
As a fellow clinic owner, I want to share why I believe one policy change can save your practice time and money while making a real difference for your clients and your community: Feline Fix By Five.
Working Smarter, Not Harder
At USA, we’re always looking for opportunities to help your clinic save valuable time and expense, for you and your clients alike. We’re not asking anyone to work harder. We’re asking you to consider working smarter.
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Feline Fix By Five, and there’s no better time to consider what adopting this policy could mean for your practice.
What It Means for Your Practice
- Fewer pyometra emergencies. Early spay/neuter eliminates the risk of these expensive, time-consuming surgeries altogether.
- No mammary cancer risk for your clients’ cats.
- A “Fix First” approach. When a kitten comes in for its first visit, build spay/neuter into that visit — no matter what stage of the process you’re in. If a five-month-old kitten arrives for a checkup, consider making it a surgical appointment. One visit, one procedure, done. No spraying, no cats in heat, no follow-up visits needed. FVRCP boosters can still be scheduled as usual to complete the vaccination series.
- Real time and cost savings for both your practice and your clients. High efficiency spay/neuter surgery techniques, like those taught at United Spay Alliance wet labs, let your practice do more surgeries without adding more hours.
- The science backs it up. Feline Fix By Five is endorsed by leading veterinary and welfare organizations — and the research supporting early-age spay/neuter is solid. Quick-technique spays and neuters make the process fast and efficient for cats of any age.
- Cats are the future of your revenue. Veterinary revenue from cat owners is growing — now 20–25% of total practice revenue — even as revenue in the dog space declines. Positioning your practice to meet cats (and their people) where they are means building trust and loyalty that lasts a lifetime.
Further reading:
- Cats Grow to 25% of Visits, Signaling a $34 Billion Market Opportunity
- Catalyst Council Survey: 90% of Devoted Cat Owners Can Increase Veterinary Practice Revenue
What It Means for Your Clients
Preventing spraying and heat behavior at home isn’t just a convenience — for many clients, it’s the difference between keeping their cat and giving it up. Kittens can begin showing heat behavior as early as four months old, and the damage that can cause in a home or apartment is real. Getting ahead of it is a gift to every cat owner who walks through your door.
A “one-and-done” visit also means a single charge that’s often easier for clients to plan for financially, with no extra time off work or extra trip to the clinic to schedule around. And any follow up needed, like completing the FVRCP series, doesn’t have to tie up your exam rooms or your vets. Those visits can be handled by your technicians, freeing up precious veterinary time for the appointments that need it most.
What It Means for Our Communities
- Half of the cats euthanized in shelters are under six months old. Feline Fix By Five stops these “oops” litters before they ever reach a shelter.
- Prevention starts with access. If cats are fixed before they’re able to roam, “Adam” and “Eve” simply never get the chance to meet — or if they do, there are no kittens to show for it.
- The math on affordability is sobering. Roughly 60% of families can’t absorb a $400 emergency expense — and in many areas, spay/neuter for a cat already costs more than that. Now picture that same family with a litter of kittens on their hands. The cost of “later” can run into the thousands. We’re not suggesting clinics lower their prices — we’re pointing out why getting ahead of that first surgery, before it multiplies, matters so much for everyone involved.
We estimate that the U.S. needs approximately 8.5 million cat surgeries annually to meaningfully reduce cat overpopulation nationwide, based on the Community Cat Calculator. Feline Fix By Five, adopted broadly across practices, could be a meaningful part of getting us there.
Where We Go From Here
Feline Fix By Five could be one of the most effective tools we have for reducing cat overpopulation across the country — but only if practices adopt it widely. We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to use directly at info@unitedspayalliance.org to find out how we can help you implement Feline Fix by Five in your practice.
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About the Stacy LeBaron
Stacy LeBaron is co-owner of Community Cat Clinic in Georgia and a longtime leader and strategic thinker in community cat management, with over 30 years in animal welfare. Stacy is the founder of Community Cats Central, an educational platform that has grown out of her long-running Community Cats Podcast — now with more than 600 episodes — to include regular webinars, virtual conferences, and certificate programs, all focused on sustainable solutions to cat overpopulation and management. She co-created and teaches the Community Cats Program Management Certificate course at the University of the Pacific, and serves as treasurer and director of strategy for United Spay Alliance, where she also founded the Community Cats Grants program supporting grassroots spay/neuter efforts nationwide. Stacy is on a mission to turn anyone’s passion for cats into action, and consults with organizations across the country on effective, data-driven program design.