Looking ahead to 2025

We have been very fortunate so far trying to make a difference in our communities. The numbers speak for themselves: 713 spayed and neutered cats in Stockton, Lodi, Escalon and even in Modesto...

But when I look at that number, I feel very tired. The amount of planning, trapping, logistics, educating, gathering paperwork, reports ... it's just overwhelming. I ask myself, will I have enough energy and strength to do what SOKS—the volunteers and I—were able to do last year? Have our actions made any difference?

Despite a high number of spayed and neutered cats, we have not yet seen a decrease in the feral population in Stockton. So, do we stop? No. We do not.

And then, we also have to deal with misinformation. Recently I watched a very interesting Youtube video by Jackson Galaxy about misunderstandings surrounding Trap-Neuter-Return (here is the link). I wish everyone would watch it and took it to heart.

SOKS is committed to continuing our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) efforts—a proven and humane way of reducing feline population.

I believe the problem of homeless cats would be solved in our community if people continued doing TNR and had the support of the City of Stockton for the next eight years. We can see, as it was shown in the video mentioned above, that we can change the statistics. It has already happened in other American cities!

To be proactive, I am creating a list of people and businesses who we can ask for help. Our local animal shelter would love to do more TNR, too.

Our challenge is not money but the lack of veterinarians who could perform spay and neuter procedures all day long.

Meanwhile, I am also spending my time writing emails to a local school district who is concerned that we are in their parking lot trapping cats in the evening. I write and make multiple calls asking them to allow me to help them with the feral cat problem. These are the cats which are procreating on their property. If we do not do something soon, they will have even more cats! We can avoid it if SOKS volunteers are allowed to take action.

So this is how my 2025 has started.

So far this year, we have fixed 80 cats. I look forward to coming together with Stockton communities to help slow the growth of this out-of-control problem. I believe that TNR is the only scientifically proven method to do so. Please watch the video mentioned above and/or contact SOKS with questions.

It takes a village

Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season is upon us. As we are closing this busy year, I‘d like to share some thoughts and thanks.

When we started our work as SOKS in 2022, we spayed and neutered 124 cats. We were very new in the cat spay/neuter world. The very first clinic which supported us was ACT. We are so grateful to Eva Kennedy who helped us spread our wings.

By the end of 2023 we fixed 450 Stockton felines. And this year, as of November 24, our counts have reached 680 spayed and neutered cats!

This wouldn’t have been possible without devoted volunteers. We have a team of 19 ladies and 3 men, who trap the cats, drive them to and from the clinics, take care of them after surgery, return them to their environments, and foster when needed. Thank you, my dearest volunteers! ❤️

We also owe our success to many Stockton residents and University of the Pacific students who stepped in and actively participated to help mitigate the problem of cat overpopulation in Stockton. SOKS teach how to trap animals; we loan traps, help with transport or post-op care; and we assist financially. “It takes a village.”

In 2024, we used nine different clinics for surgeries. Recently however, we have relied mostly on our local resources. ACT, City of Stockton Animal Services, Animal Protection League, and Sacramento SPCA are the clinics we use regularly. We are very thankful for these relationships and appreciate their help and support.

Lastly, a huge thank you to our donors without whom this organization wouldn’t be as successful. I want to thank Dogwood Animal Rescue Project, Fund 54, Nancy, Paula, Kevin & Julia, Chip, Vicky, Robert, Adrianne and every single person who donated to SOKS this year. There is no donation too small! We appreciate cat food, your time, cutting cardboard boxes, and making winter shelters for kitties, and we appreciate those who feed feral cat colonies. All of that makes our mission possible. Thank you to all who by their generous hearts became a part of our local success! ❤️

SOKS volunteers are our heroes!

Volunteers at Save Our Kitties Stockton

Save Our Kitties Stockton (SOKS) is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization. The volunteers are invaluable to our success. They put in countless hours answering phone calls and emails, trapping feral and stray cats, and then caring for them. They are SOKS heroes!

Read on to learn more about our volunteers.

When you call or write SOKS, we take time to answer your questions, or we refer you to other resources. The person who responds is a volunteer. To get in touch with SOKS, visit our contact page.

If you need help with trap-neuter-return (TNR), a volunteer will meet with you to instruct and help you with setting up a trap. Sometimes they even trap a cat for you!

If necessary, our volunteer will take “your” trapped cat to their home where the animal gets food, water and clean bedding inside the trap. The volunteer may also take the cat to the clinic and pick it up after the neuter/spay procedure is complete.

Depending on the sex of the cat, it will spend one–two nights at the volunteer’s home to recover. That can get pretty intense! Feral cats are not used to sitting in a small trap for so long, so they make a huge mess … Bedding gets torn into pieces, poop may get stuck between the bars of the trap or sometimes ends up in the food dish. Everything will be turned upside down and water spilled everywhere. The volunteer cleans the cage multiple times because we want the cat to recover in a clean place. When the cat is finally ready to return to its original environment, the volunteer takes it there and ensures a safe return.

You might think that this is the end of volunteer work, but there is more. Now the blankets need to be washed; the trap needs to be cleaned, sanitized and dried out; and food bowls need to be washed. Everything will be ready for the next feline resident.

I hope I shed some light on how much work and effort it takes for a successful TNR. Although we raise funds to cover the cost of cat food, disinfectants or training pads, SOKS volunteers use their own cars and fuel, space in their own homes, but most of all, their time and energy. They are truly devoted to this service. All of us at Save Our Kitties Stockton hope that our work will one day make a big difference in Stockton's neighborhoods.

If you value SOKS services, please consider a donation. Visit our Support page to find out HOW YOU CAN HELP. Thank you ❤️