CatSnip

Our Mission

The CatSnip Fund is an endowment fund, which means it creates a reliable, ongoing source of funding dedicated to reducing cat overpopulation through low-cost spay and neuter support. Because the fund is designed to sustain itself, money is available every year, not just when funding happens to be there. That reliability means the local shelters and rescues doing this work can plan ahead, knowing support will still be there next year, and the year after. It creates a future where fewer cats are born into hardship. Every cat deserves a chance at a safe, healthy life. CatSnip is how our communities make that possible, year after year.

The CatSnip Fund serves Grant, Green, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties. As the fund grows, we’ll expand county by county until it is available in Crawford, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Walworth and Richland counties.

Why This Matters

There aren’t enough homes for all the cats in this country, and the consequences are real. Cats living outdoors face freezing temperatures, starvation, disease, and the dangers of giving birth without shelter or care. It’s a hard reality, and it’s happening on a massive scale.

These cats aren’t the problem. The lack of spay and neuter access is. When communities invest in humane, effective solutions like spay and neuter programs, cat populations stabilize and gradually decline, and the cats who remain are healthier and safer.

An estimated 30 to 40 million stray or unhomed cats live in the U.S. today, and 6 to 8 million cats enter shelters every year. Only about 10% of homeless animals ever make it into a shelter or rescue. The rest are left to fend for themselves.

The math behind this crisis is unforgiving. One unspayed female cat can produce 2 to 3 litters a year, with 4 to 6 kittens per litter, and her kittens can become pregnant as early as 4 months old. Left unchecked, a single cat and her offspring can produce 100 to 5,000 cats in just 7 years. Yet only about 2% of outdoor and community cats are sterilized.

Spay and neuter surgeries are the most effective investments we can make in the long-term health and well-being of our cats. By preventing future litters, the CatSnip Fund addresses the problem at its source, creating lasting change–one surgery at a time.

How Does the Fund Work

CatSnip is a fund of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin. An advisory board made up of community volunteers reviews every grant application, bringing local knowledge and genuine care to each decision.

The fund’s priorities are Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs and low-cost spay/neuter clinics. These programs are where CatSnip dollars have the greatest impact.

Organizations applying for a grant should be ready to include:

• Standard care and vaccination protocols for TNR
• Adoption, TNR, and spay/neuter numbers from the previous 2 years