About Spay the Strays, Inc.

Who We Are

Spay the Strays, Inc. is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit cat rescue serving the Central Florida community. Since our founding in 2006, we have been dedicated to rescuing homeless, abandoned, and at-risk cats, providing them with the veterinary care, rehabilitation, and socialization they need before matching them with safe, loving forever homes.

Each of those cats represents a story of rescue, recovery, and hope. Behind every adoption is a team of volunteers, foster families, adopters, and supporters who worked together to give a cat the opportunity for a better life.

Unlike a traditional animal shelter, Spay the Strays is a foster-based rescue. Every cat in our program lives in a volunteer foster home where they receive individualized care, medical attention, socialization, and the time they need to prepare for adoption.

Why Foster-Based Rescue Matters

Because our cats live in foster homes, our volunteers get to know them as individuals. They learn each cat's personality, habits, energy level, preferences, and special needs.

This allows us to make thoughtful matches between cats and adopters. We are not simply looking for a home for a cat—we are looking for the right home for each cat and the right cat for each family.

Our foster families provide the safety, patience, and love these cats need while they wait for their forever homes. This personal care allows our cats to transition from uncertainty to security and gives them the best possible chance for a successful adoption.

Our Mission

Our mission is to give homeless and abandoned cats a second chance while helping reduce the overpopulation of cats throughout Central Florida.

We rescue cats in need, provide the care necessary to prepare them for adoption, and work to place them with responsible, loving families where they can remain for the rest of their lives.

• Rescue homeless, abandoned, and at-risk cats.
• Provide veterinary care, rehabilitation, and socialization.
• Find loving, permanent homes for every cat we place.
• Help reduce cat overpopulation through education and spay/neuter advocacy.

Our Promise to Every Cat

Every cat who enters our care is entrusted to us with one purpose: to prepare them for a lifetime of love, safety, and companionship.

Whether rescued from the streets, surrendered when a family can no longer provide care, or born after their mother was rescued, every cat receives the same compassion, veterinary care, and dedication from our volunteers and foster families.

Our goal is not simply to complete an adoption. Our goal is to create lifelong matches where both the cat and the family have the best opportunity for a happy future together.

Our responsibility does not end when a cat leaves our care. If circumstances change and an adopter can no longer care for a cat originally adopted through Spay the Strays, we remain committed to helping that cat.

The Importance of Foster Homes

Because we do not operate a traditional shelter, our ability to save cats depends directly on the availability of foster homes.

Foster families provide the safe environment where cats can recover, grow, learn, and prepare for adoption. They help us understand each cat's personality and needs so we can make the best possible match with an adopter.

Every available foster home creates an opportunity to help another cat who is still waiting for a chance.

Our Story

Spay the Strays was founded in 2006 by Anita Sanders after a single rescued cat named Callie changed the direction of her life.

What began with helping one cat grew into a dedicated mission to help homeless, abandoned, and at-risk cats throughout Central Florida. Over the years, that mission has grown through the commitment of volunteers, foster families, adopters, and supporters who believe every cat deserves a chance.

Since our beginning in 2006, 4,622 cats have been adopted into loving new homes.

Every adoption represents more than a number. Each cat has a story, a journey, and a team of people who helped prepare them for the next chapter of their life.

Our Rescue Today

Spay the Strays continues to operate entirely through volunteers who give their time because they believe every cat deserves compassion, medical care, and the opportunity to find a loving family.

• 14 PetSmart adoption volunteers
• 8–10 foster families
• More than 70 cats in foster care at any given time

Our volunteers handle every part of the rescue process, including caring for foster cats, transporting cats to veterinary appointments, supporting adoption events, communicating with adopters, providing community education, and helping cats transition into their forever homes.

Every week we receive more requests for help than we have available space to accommodate. While we wish we could help every cat in need, our ability to save lives depends on having enough foster homes, volunteers, and community support.

Serving Central Florida

We proudly serve primarily Orange and Osceola Counties and work to improve the lives of cats throughout our community through rescue, education, responsible pet ownership, and spay/neuter awareness.

Because we are an all-volunteer organization, every person who contributes their time, resources, or support becomes an important part of our mission.

You Can Help Save Lives

The greatest need in any rescue organization is foster homes. When you foster, you provide a safe place for a cat to live while we provide veterinary care, medical treatment, and support.

Every new foster home allows us to rescue another cat in need. Without foster families, we simply cannot expand the number of cats we are able to help.

Ways You Can Help

• Become a foster family
• Help at adoption events
• Transport cats to veterinary appointments
• Assist with PetSmart habitat care
• Help with fundraising activities
• Provide administrative support
• Support community outreach and education

Whether you can open your home, volunteer your time, donate supplies, or help spread awareness, every contribution helps us continue saving cats.

Support Our Mission

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Spay the Strays receives no government funding. Every dollar donated helps provide the care our cats need, including veterinary care, medications, food, litter, vaccinations, microchips, and other essential supplies.

If you are unable to foster or volunteer, making a donation is another meaningful way to help save lives.

Saving cats takes a community.

Whether you choose to adopt, foster, volunteer, donate, or simply share our mission with others, you become an important part of giving homeless cats a second chance.

Contact Spay the Strays