What We Do & Why

Bikini Beach Cat Rescue

Free-roaming cats are a a huge problem everywhere; recent estimates for Horry county is about 140,000 free-roaming cats and about 47,000 for Georgetown county. The Humane Society estimates that a breeding pair of cats and their kittens can produce more than 400,000 cats and kittens over 7 years.

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Population Control

As long as litters of surplus kittens are born, our shelters will continue to burst with discarded animals. Currently about 80% of cats entering kill shelters are euthanized. Many healthy cats wait in vain to get a permanent home; most do not make it out alive. Many have been surrendered and are traumatized by losing their home, not understanding what they did wrong to be left behind by the only family they ever knew. They do not understand that their family will never come back for them. Others arrive abused and frightened; some are dumped in neighborhoods and they watch in terror as their family drives away. Some are thrown from bridges, others from moving cars.

As fast as we dispose of them, new ones are born to take their place. We cannot adopt them out fast enough and euthanasia has not worked for decades. Animals who haven't even been conceived today, will die next year unless we can stop the surplus litters from being born.

This is the real-life tragedy of animal overpopulation. To end this, we must have low-cost spay/neuter/vaccinate programs to keep these surplus kittens from being born. All across the United States spay/neuter/vaccinate programs are being implemented in an effort to stop the unwanted breeding. It doesn't matter that their deaths are 'painless', what matters is that their deaths are 'pointless'.

With your help and support, Bikini Beach Cat Rescue is sponsoring weekly low-cost spay/neuter clinics at two locations, scheduling two clinics per week.

As Helen Keller said, "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." You donations help us do the 'something.'

10 Reasons To Spay Or Neuter Your Pet
  1. An estimated 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter shelters each year; half those animals will never find homes. For decades we have tried to adopt and euthanize our way out of the problem. It hasn't worked because we have not addressed the problem of unwanted breeding of these animals, especially of free-roaming cats and kittens.
  2. There are not enough homes to help these homeless animals. With only so many people that can bring an animal into their house, and only so many homes available, any more animals added to the adoption pool dilutes any one animal's chance of finding a forever home. Pet overpopulation is a problem that can be solved through low-cost spay/neuter programs.
  3. If you spay your female dog or cat before their first heat cycle, the incidence of breast cancer is reduce to zero. Malignant tumors have a poor prognosis, so love your pet enough to have them fixed.
  4. Spayed dogs and cats rarely develop uterine infections, known as pyometra. These infections are generally progesterone mediated and a dog or cat whose ovaries are removed will not produce progesterone. Uterine infections are life-threatening.
  5. When female cats are in heat, they cry for hours for a mate, often for 7 - 10 days at a time. Female cats can go in and out of heat every 2 weeks and have 3 cycles a year. A female dog's heat lasts for an average of three weeks and will attract un-castrated males within a large radius. Female dogs also bleed, soiling carpets and floors.
  6. A neutered dog can't develop testicular cancer. The incidence of prostatic infections are also dramatically reduced because without testosterone, prostatic cysts won't form and cannot become infected. Neutering older dogs carries more risk than when they are young and healthy.
  7. Male dogs and cats are less likely to roam in search of a mate when neutered, subjecting themselves to accidents, fights or worse.
  8. Unneutered male cats commonly mark their territory, even in their own home, by urinating on vertical surfaces such as chairs, curtains, legs of tables, couches and beds.
  9. Neutered male dogs are less likely to exhibit dominant, testosterone-based aggressive behavior that can lead to human bites, fights with other dogs, wounds, and veterinary expenses.
  10. Pregnancy and birth will lead to expenses such as food, veterinary exams, vaccinations and standard testing. The cost for a pregnant dog or cat and her litter will be far more than the cost of spaying or neutering. In addition, there's the time and expense in finding the kittens and puppies homes.

How Do You Know When Male Cats Can Be Neutered?

By six to eight weeks of age, both testes have descended into the scrotum of the male cat and they can be neutered. We fix kittens at 3 months of age or about 3 pounds.

How Often Do Female Cats Come Into Heat?

They come into heat every two weeks. Siamese cats often breed year round. Each heat period varies in length, but typically lasts between five days and three weeks. She can experience repeated cycles every 12 to 22 days if not pregnant.

What Are The Signs That Female Cats Are In Heat?

Excessive vocalization, rubbing her head and neck against people and objects, becoming very affectionate, rolling and squirming, making 'treading movements' with her back legs, and assuming the mating position - the rump in the air, tail deflected to the side and back arched downward.​

More Information On Female Cats.

Puberty in females, on average, occurs between 5 and 9 months of age.
Pregnancy in cats lasts, on average, about 63 days. Cats that are spayed before their first heat rarely develop mammary tumors. Most mammary tumors are malignant.

Litters on average consist of up to four kittens per litter and a typical queen can have two to three litters per year. She can have anywhere from 50 to 150 kittens in her lifetime.

***The cost of the Spay & Neuter includes a rabies vaccination.

Appointments can be made by calling 843-655-7881 between 9 AM and 4 PM.

Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate & Release

We do some targeted TNVR programs with volunteers and grant money. We also do fundraisers to offer everyone subsidized low-cost spay/neuter clinics throughout the year.

With your support, we can make a difference and stop healthy, adoptable cats from euthanasia. It doesn't matter that their deaths are 'painless', what matters is that their deaths are 'pointless'.