No More Homeless Pets KC announces the opening of our new clinic to provide low-cost, high-quality spay and neuter services for pets in need in the metropolitan area. Special rates are offered for people caring for stray and free-roaming cats and dogs.

Merriam, KS - infoZIne"The mission of No More Homeless Pets KC is to raise spay-neuter awareness and lead a cooperative effort to end pet-overpopulation in the Kansas City metro area," said Gail Longstaff, President and Executive Director. "Along with spay and neuter programs," Longstaff said, "fostering and adopting animals from shelters are keys to ultimately reaching that goal."

It is estimated that 20,000 cats and dogs in Kansas City are euthanized each year. No More Homeless Pets KC is committed to making the Kansas City metropolitan area a "No Kill Community" where at least 90 percent of the animals entering shelters find homes. Several communities have achieved, or are on their way to achieving this result, including San Francisco, CA; Charlottesville, VA; Reno, NV; and King County, WA.

The No More Homeless Pets KC clinic is one of 25 being opened around the country that are part of the Humane Alliance National Spay-Neuter Response Team.

The new clinic has an animal-friendly ambience. In the waiting room, the soft blue, green, lavender walls, soothing music and scent of lavender serve to calm the patients. There are well-equipped rooms for examination, surgery and recovery, and also a laundry and separate dog and cat kitchens. The surgery suite can accommodate up to four veterinarians. The clinic has a full-time staff of six, led by Dr. Sheila Dodson, and can draw from a pool of more than 20 volunteer veterinarians when needed.

The goal is for a progressive increase of surgeries to an eventual volume of 130 a day. A particular focus is to promote the trapping, neutering and returning of feral cats to their original habitats. Plans are for an outreach network to offer transportation from Lawrence, Atchison, Topeka and other communities outside Kansas City. Educational programs also will be added to the services.

The state-of-the-art, 12,000-square-foot facility is located at 5428 Antioch Drive in Merriam, KS, with easy access from Antioch Road and I-35. It is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To schedule an appointment, phone (816) 333-PETS.