The city government of Taguig on Tuesday encouraged residents to avail the free cat spaying and neutering services instead of going to a private clinic where the same services may cost them up to P5,000.
Cat owners can avail of the free service initiated by the City Veterinary Office’s which aimed at fighting rabies, controlling their population and ensuring a safe neighborhood.
“We included spaying and neutering in our program against rabies because one of the ways in eliminating rabies in our city is to control the population of our pets,” CVO officer-in-charge Dr. Alexis Siblag said.
According to Dr. Siblag, neutering takes only three to five minutes and spaying only between eight and 10 minutes.
Residents who avail of the program are also given long-lasting injectable antibiotics and pain relievers for their cats—also free of charge.
Interested residents are welcome to visit the CVO at the city’s Model House on Cayetano Boulevard in Barangay Ususan.
“You will only need to register and submit some requirements, including a barangay residency or voter’s ID proving you are a bona fide resident of Taguig City,” said Siblag.
“As soon as your documents are proven accurate and complete, personnel from the CVO will contact you to schedule the operation,” the CVO chief added.
According to Dr. Siblag, they get to accommodate an average of 10 pets per day on weekdays, which is when the CVO is open.
As of October 2018, 180 female cats had been spayed and 124 male cats had been neutered, a significant increase from the 207 such operations in 2017.
The free spaying and neutering programs are only two of many the city has been implementing for the benefit of Taguig pet lovers.
The CVO also conducts the annual Anti-Rabies Drive (TCARD) program, which involves veterinarians conducting house-to-house visits throughout the city to administer vaccines on pets. A whopping 17,295 cats have already been vaccinated under the program.
There’s also the adopt-a-cat program for residents who wish to provide a home for rescued cats currently housed at the Taguig City Pound.
Residents who are bitten by rabies-exposed animals can also avail of free treatment and vaccination in the city’s five Animal Bite Treatment Centers in barangays Ibayo-Tipas, Old Lower Bicutan, Pinagsama, Upper Bicutan, and North Signal.
“Here in Taguig, we don’t just treat ‘muning’ as our pets but also as members of our family and community. We continue doing our best to provide every Taguigeño a safe interaction with their pets by providing services geared towards a pet-friendly probinsiyudad,” Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano said.
