Other Assistance Programs

MISSION: finds good permanent homes for abandoned, stray, and abused companion animals and works to end the pet overpopulation crisis through focused spay/neuter programs.

Local animal shelters partner with AFRP by calling upon them to rescue animals that do not stand a chance of survival in the shelter, providing medical care (including spay/neuter) and behavior training when necessary, and finally, placing the animals in permanent homes. These are typically shy, senior, underage or un-weaned animals, or animals in need of medical attention, pregnant or nursing, or those who have just been overlooked and been there too long.

Dogs and most of the cats they rescue from the shelters are housed in volunteer foster homes.

AFRP only takes animals from the public when space is available. It gives special consideration to its adopted animals but the return is based on space, foster availability, and a medical, and behavioral assessment.

AFRP also offers free/reduced cost spay/neuter vouchers for small dogs and cats to guardians who qualify and has a Community/Feral Cat Trap Neuter Release (TNR) Program. 

MISSION: Community Cat Allies' focus is a Trap-Neuter/Spay-Vaccinate-Return (TNR) program to improve the lives of community cats, reduce the number of cats and kittens taken to shelters, and ultimately over time reduce the number of unowned, free roaming cats. Community Cat Allies can provide direct TNR services for local, small community cat colonies or provide training, loan out traps at no charge, and provide information on low cost spay/neuter options for people who want to do TNR themselves. This is open to all Monterey County residents, although Community Cat Allies primarily focuses on North Monterey County and Salinas. Community Cat Allies also rescues adoptable cats and kittens on a limited basis.

MISSION: Raises funds to support the protection, shelter and care of lost and abandoned animals throughout Monterey County.  They work with area shelters and community organizations to reduce pet overpopulation, promote adoption of shelter pets and reduce the euthanasia of adoptable animals.

FoCAS has the Pit Snip, Chip & Chihuahua Program where animals are altered and microchipped; guardians pay for rabies vaccine, dog licensing and microchip registration. Participants must qualify.

Their Mobile Spay/Neuter Outreach program brings low-cost spay/neuter and general medical services directly to county residents.  Appointments are required.

Their PAWS Program for seniors (Pets Are Wonderful Support) allows seniors 60 and older in the Monterey County area to enjoy the love of a pet despite living on a fixed or limited income. PAWS covers all costs of adoption of an adult-aged pet (including initial immunizations, spay/neuter and licensing fees) and provides a $400 annual subsidy to help cover the costs of responsible pet ownership.  Participants must qualify.

FoCAS also funds FIV testing for every cat available for adoption at Hitchcock Road Animal Services.

MISSION: Re-homes cats 6 and older from Monterey County who are at risk in shelters or whose guardians can no longer care for them. Places these cats, who have no other options of a safe place to go, into temporary foster care while working to find them permanent loving homes, enriching the lives of both the cats and their new families. Golden Oldies makes a lifetime commitment to those cats. They will either be adopted or live out their lives in their foster homes. Golden Oldies also has a Temporary-Emergency Foster Care Program for guardians of its adopted cats who are facing short-term medical issues, pending available foster homes. In addition, it has a Matchmaker Fund that pays expenses for life for a Matchmaker Cat should someone be the perfect fit to be a pet parent but cannot afford to adopt.

MISSION: Finds good homes for local shelter animals in need.  They occasionally accept an animal from outside the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay areas but the bulk of their adoptable animals come from the Santa Cruz/Watsonville, Salinas City and Monterey County shelters.

Their Working Whiskers Program is designed to help cats that are not readily adoptable. This includes at-risk cats at local shelters that are not "social" (feral or semi feral cats), but that would be wonderful working cats.  A working cat is a cat or group of cats placed in a safe location with shelter (barns, garages, commercial buildings, sheds, etc.) and typically do the job of rodent control very effectively. A bonus is that often these cats become more social once placed and some become highly social with their caregivers.