Fix 'Ur Cat
About Us
From Humble Beginnings ...
We started informally in 2012, partnering with local vets and eventually the Animal Friends clinic in Pittsburgh to facilitate low-cost spay/neuters for cats of local community members. We had no space of our own, so we operated out of parking lots and occasionally borrowed space, meeting clients in the early morning to receive their cats, shuttle those cats to the clinic at our own expense, return to the clinic later to pick the cats up, and then meet with the cats’ caretakers to return the cats and provide post-op care instructions.
When we saw how much need there really was for this work, we formalized operations as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2014, though we still continued to operate out of a series of temporary spaces. As the community became more aware of our work and could see how serious we were about it, donations began to increase, facilitating our ongoing growth to the point where we were able, in 2018, to purchase a building in Canonsburg so that we finally had a home base.
We continued to grow, opening our own surgical suite in 2019 and establishing wellness clinic hours to provide low-cost, basic veterinary care in addition to spay/neuter surgeries. The need for our services quickly outstripped our capacity at the Canonsburg site, however, necessitating a move to our current location in Washington, PA. We now have two fully equipped surgical suites as well as ongoing capacity for basic wellness care, making us the largest provider of low-cost spay/neuter and basic wellness services for cats in Washington County.
The opening of our original facility in 2018.
Our Volunteers
Fix ‘Ur Cat began as a volunteer-driven organization and remains so today. We have over 25 volunteers from all walks of life, ranging in age from teenagers to retirees. As a group, they contribute thousands of hours of their personal time and energy each year, doing everything from clinic administrative work to cat care to basic housekeeping.
Volunteers are the key to Fix ‘Ur Cat’s existence and rapid growth. They are the reason that low-cost spay/neuters and basic wellness care for cats are now available in the Washington County area. No matter what your skills and interests are, no matter how much or how little time you feel you have available to contribute, we have a place for you if you’d like to become part of our mission. It’s tremendously satisfying work done in the company of others who care passionately about the welfare of cats and their caretakers in our community.
A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean.
People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,
“Well, I made a difference to that one!”
The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought for a long moment about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.
— Adapted from 'The Star Thrower' by Loren C. Eiseley
We make a difference that matters, one cat at a time.