The crisis of pet overpopulation is starkly evident in our community. With limited resources, Ohlone Humane Society (OHS) has conducted 467 trap-neuter-return (TNR) operations for the Tri-City community in 2024 alone. TNR is a critical strategy to control the outdoor, unowned cat population, preventing the birth of thousands of unwanted kittens. Additionally, we’ve distributed 112 spay/neuter vouchers to independent trappers, empowering more people to take direct action.
Yet these efforts, conducted by a patchwork of nonprofit animal welfare organizations like ours, are only making a small dent in the problem. The lack of veterinary services and the exponential growth of unwanted animals make it impossible to keep up. What many don’t realize is that female cats can become pregnant as young as four months old and can get pregnant again within a few weeks of giving birth. With three to four litters per year per mama cat, this results in hundreds of kittens fighting for survival.
Every year, animal rescues face the heartbreaking prospect of leaving hungry, injured, or pregnant animals where they are found because they do not have the capacity to take them in. It’s exhausting. But we keep working because we believe all animals deserve compassion and respect—and who else will advocate for them?
As an all-volunteer organization, we’re incredibly proud of the impact we’ve made thanks to the generosity and community spirit of local animal lovers. But the current approach of merely doing what we can with what we have is not sustainable. Every year the problem grows, pushing our goal of preventing pet overpopulation further and further away. That idea of sustainability prompted the question of what “net zero, but for kittens” might look like. Getting our community to the point where every pet had a home (or a good chance of getting one in a short period of time), would be a moonshot that would likely take 15 to 20 years of dedicated work. But I also believe it’s doable. Three main things would need to change.
Part of the answer is more vets, maybe hired through the city or county. We need to move more cats through TNR and not only need more veterinarians to help us but we need more volunteers to help as well. OHS will provide training.
For many pet owners, financial constraints lead to heartbreaking decisions, including surrendering beloved pets because they cannot afford food or medical care. Ohlone Humane Society steps in to fill this gap. In 2024, we’ve distributed over 9,688 pounds of pet food, helping families keep their pets during difficult times. Additionally, we have helped 22 low-income and unhoused individuals with veterinary care assistance. By providing this support, we prevent unnecessary surrenders and keep pets with the families who love them.
Whether rescues, vets or shelters, we need to be working with each other and not against each other. Not any one of us can do this alone.
Some might argue that resources could be better spent elsewhere or that no matter how much we do, it will never be enough to solve the problem. While it’s true that the challenges are immense, and sometimes it feels like we are only scratching the surface, we believe that every life saved and every animal helped makes a difference. The work we do ripples through the community—by preventing pet overpopulation, we reduce the strain on local shelters and municipalities. By helping pet owners keep their pets, we reduce the emotional and financial burden on families.
The work of Ohlone Humane Society is a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together. In 2024 alone, our 170 volunteers have dedicated over 9,000 hours to saving and improving the lives of animals. But we cannot do this alone. We need more volunteers, more donations, and more awareness to continue this vital work.Visit the website to learn more: www.ohlonehumanesociety.org
