Our Programs
Life-Saving Services for the Tri-Valley Community
We Provide
Since we are not a physical rescue or shelter facility, Paws In Need focuses its efforts on directly serving the general public. Our team works closely with other no-kill shelter and rescue organizations as well as collaborating with local Animal Control agencies. We provide vital services that can transform a community by catering to underserved populations and by granting these individuals the peace of mind that both companion and stray animals alike will be kept safe and healthy.
Urgent Vet Care Assistance
Provides cost-sharing assistance to struggling pet owners for one-time urgent medical procedures for their companion animals. These programs are especially crucial for senior citizens and homeless individuals closely connected with their pets.
Low-Cost Spay & Neuter
Offers financial support to help fund low-cost spay & neuter surgeries for cats and dogs to reduce overpopulation, unnecessary suffering, illness, surrender or euthanasia of both stray and companion animals.
Humane Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR)
Best practice method developed to address free-roaming local feral cat colonies. Implemented to ensure humane treatment of animals, reduce diseases and injuries, control animal overpopulation, and promote health through wellness checks and vaccinations.
Bottle Babies Program
Our Bottle Babies Program rescues and rehomes vulnerable kittens who have been separated from their mothers and are at risk on the streets and in shelters. We provide dedicated fostering for orphaned neonatal kittens, giving them the best chance they have to survive.
Pet Wellness Care
We provide support for essential pet wellness care including vaccinations, checkups, and injury prevention. Our program focuses on making preventive care accessible to low-income families.
For more information on any of these programs:
E-mail info@Paws-In-Need.org or leave a voicemail at (925) 551-1877
Why Spay/Neuter Matters
Spaying and neutering are among the most important decisions pet owners can make for their animals and their community. These procedures provide significant benefits for both individual pets and the broader community.
Benefits for the Animal
- Improved health: Spaying eliminates the risk of uterine infections and uterine and ovarian cancers in females, while preventing breast tumors in about 50% of dogs and 90% of cats. Neutering prevents testicular cancer and reduces the likelihood of prostate problems in males.
- Behavioral improvements: Spaying and neutering can decrease aggression, reduce the urge to roam in search of a mate, and stop territorial marking. This can lead to a more content and less stressed pet.
- Longer lifespan: Studies show that spayed and neutered pets generally live longer, partly due to a decreased risk of certain diseases and less exposure to dangers like fights or accidents associated with roaming.
Benefits for the Community
- Combats overpopulation: The procedures are the most effective way to prevent unplanned litters, which directly combats the issue of millions of unwanted animals ending up in shelters or as strays.
- Increases safety: Fewer stray animals mean fewer car accidents involving pets, fewer garbage can disturbances, and fewer public nuisances. It also helps prevent bites and attacks that can be caused by stray or irresponsible pet ownership.
- Protects public health: By reducing the number of homeless animals, spaying and neutering also decreases the opportunity for the spread of diseases that can be transmitted to other animals or even humans, such as rabies.
- Saves money: Communities spend millions of dollars annually on managing and caring for unwanted and abandoned animals.
For more information, visit:
ASPCA - Spay/Neuter Your Pet | Best Friends - Map Methodology
Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR)
TNR is important because it is the most humane and effective method for managing community cat populations, leading to healthier lives for the cats and a more peaceful coexistence with people. By sterilizing and vaccinating cats, TNR prevents future births, reduces nuisance behaviors like spraying and fighting, and stabilizes the population over time, decreasing the number of cats that might otherwise be euthanized in shelters.
Benefits for the Cats
- Healthier lives: Sterilization prevents diseases like testicular and uterine cancer, and spaying greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer. Once sterilized, cats tend to gain weight and become healthier overall.
- Population control: It prevents new litters from being born, which helps stabilize the population and gradually reduce the number of community cats over time.
- Reduced risks: Sterilized cats are less likely to get injured or infected from fighting, and unsterilized females in heat are no longer at risk from attracting unsterilized males.
Benefits for the Community
- Reduced nuisance behaviors: Spaying and neutering eliminates hormones, which significantly decreases behaviors like fighting, yowling, and spraying that can annoy neighbors.
- Fewer nuisance calls: Programs have shown a dramatic decrease in nuisance complaints after implementing TNR, sometimes by 98%.
- Increased public health: Vaccinating cats against rabies is a component of TNR that helps protect both cats and the community, though the risk of rabies from cats to humans is very low.
- Humane alternative: TNR is a compassionate alternative to outdated methods like "trap-and-remove," which is often less effective and less humane.
Learn more about TNR:
Best Friends - Community Cats | ASPCA - Community Cats | HumanePro - Why TNR