Each Tuesday morning, volunteer Kacy Kinder transports from 20 to 30 cats to Auburn for low-cost veterinary care. Solano Kitten Network spends around $1,700 to $2,000 weekly to ensure each kitten and cat is serviced. Photo by Kendall Brown

DIXON, CA (MPG) - The Solano Kitten Network, a nonprofit organization based in Solano County, continues its mission to address the growing population of stray and feral cats through spay and neuter services, adoptions and public outreach.

Founded officially in 2019, the group operates with a team of about 30 volunteers and is fully funded by community donations.

According to network president Trina Tindall-Shaw, the organization’s core mission is to save cats and kittens from homelessness and offer them an opportunity for a better life.

“Our core mission is to help the community with spay and neuter services for cats, feral, stray and community cats that residents can’t afford,” Tindall-Shaw said. “We take in cats and kittens that are homeless off the street and provide them a better life through spaying and neutering, vaccinations and finding them homes.”

Solano Kitten Network hosts adoptions from 1:30 to 4 p.m. every Saturday at PetSmart in Vacaville and will hold its second annual Scentsy Bingo Night fundraiser on Nov. 2. The event is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year, as it relies entirely on donations. Photo courtesy of Solano Kitten Network

Each Tuesday morning, volunteer Kacy Kinder transports from 20 to 30 cats to Auburn for low-cost veterinary care. According to Tindall-Shaw, costs in Solano County can be prohibitively high, with some local vet clinics charging up to $750 to spay a female cat. Out-of-county procedures cost $140 for a spay and $115 for a neuter, including vaccines.

Without local resources, the organization relies on weekly trips beginning at 5:45 a.m. every Tuesday. Solano Kitten Network spends about $1,700 to $2,000 weekly to ensure these cats and kittens are taken care of. Cats are returned to their owners later that day at Fast Eddie’s in Dixon, where pickup instructions are provided.

“We used to do a spay and neuter clinic in Vallejo once a month, where we’d do around 150 cats a day,” Kinder said. “It made us realize there was a need to foster and, with raising small children, we could teach them empathy while helping the community.”

Solano Kitten Network hosts adoptions from 1:30 to 4 p.m. every Saturday at PetSmart in Vacaville and will hold its second annual Scentsy Bingo Night fundraiser on Nov. 2. The event is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year, as it relies entirely on donations. Photo by Kendall Brown

The organization also hosts adoptions from 1:30 to 4 p.m. every Saturday at PetSmart in Vacaville and will hold its second annual Scentsy Bingo Night fundraiser on Nov. 2. The event is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year, as it relies entirely on donations. The bingo night will have a $40 buy-in and be held at American Legion Hall, 1305 N. First St. Check-in is from noon to 2 p.m., with games starting at 2 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Tindall-Shaw, who began rescuing animals in her teens, said the work is essential.

 “If it weren’t for me and the 30 other volunteers, the county would be overrun with cats,” Tindall-Shaw said. “We don’t even have a regular vet offering us discounts.”

Solano Kitten Network also focuses on cats in need of urgent medical attention, including amputations and eye surgeries.

To support the network, Tindall-Shaw encourages community members to donate, foster, adopt or volunteer. Applications are available on the organization's website.

For more information or to apply to volunteer, visit solanokittenetwork.com or email [email protected].

“It takes a village,” said Tindall-Shaw. “One female cat can lead to more than 200 kittens in a year. If people understood that, more could help.”