FRAMINGHAM — Val Couchon is a cat person.
Couchon brought Sweet Pea, a 1-year-old tortoiseshell cat, to a mobile spay and neutering facility called the Catmobile so Sweet Pea, a rescue from Worcester, could get spayed.
The Salisbury-based Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society's Catmobile is a mobile spay and neuter clinic designed specifically for cats. The Catmobile is staffed by a veterinarian, a vet tech and a vet assistant and can spay or neuter up to 24 cats per day.
The Catmobile covers the North Shore, MetroWest and Central Massachusetts.
The Daily News caught up with the Catmobile on Monday outside the Framingham Animal Control building on Western Avenue. People from throughout the state brought cats to be fixed at a more affordable price than at veterinarian clinics.
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Couchon, of Hudson, works for Hopkinton-based Brown Dog Coalition. She said spaying and neutering cats is beneficial to their survival.
"There's so many unwanted animals that deserve love and attention," Couchon said. "It stops animals from suffering and it can get them out of the wild and into loving homes."
She later added: "One un-spayed cat can be responsible for tens of thousands of offspring. With all of those cats, they will end up filling up shelters or live difficult lives as feral cats — most won't end up in loving homes."
Catmobile offers affordable solution to cat overpopulation
Karen Glass, executive director of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, said the goal of the Catmobile is to provide people with access to low-cost spaying and neutering. Since it hit the road in 2008, the Catmobile has spayed and neutered more than 75,000 cats.
The project was started after a boom in Newburyport's cat population, leading to cats roaming near restaurants and causing an unhealthy environment for both them and people.
Residents travel from throughout the state to get their cats fixed at an affordable price. On Monday in Framingham, there were 22 appointments for cats.
Maddie DeFlippo, of Brookline, came to get her two cats, Nesta and Archie, spayed and neutered. DeFlippo came for the affordability of the Catmobile, noting that nearby vets were going to charge about $2,000.
DeFlippo also stressed the importance of getting cats spayed or neutered.
"It's crazy how many kittens need to be fixed — there's a lot of cats running around and so many kittens that are feral," DeFlippo said.
Vaccines, flea treatment, microchipping — and a nail trim
The Catmobile charges $175 to spay a female cat and $125 to neuter a male cat. The fee includes vaccines, flea treatment, free microchipping and a nail trim. Spaying costs more because it's a more invasive surgery than neutering. Veterinarian offices can cost up to $1,000 for spaying and $500 for neutering.
"Cats multiply quickly," Glass said. "Even though kittens are really adorable, they can get pregnant at four months."
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The mobile unit also aims to also tackle a veterinarian shortage, according to Glass. Due to the shortage, many veterinarian offices put most of their resources in emergency procedures, rather than in spaying and neutering.
The Catmobile's calendar can be found on the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society's website. It's set to return to Framingham on Aug. 5 and Aug. 19, according to the city's website.
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