ROCHELLE – The City of Rochelle and Spay Illinois Clinic have come together to offer the community a humane way to control the local feral cat population as well as offer a variety of procedures for local cat owners.
In response to the feral cat problem that has been brought to the city’s attention, it has partnered with a low cost spay, neuter and vaccination clinic to hold a spay/neuter transport day. Spay Illinois will come to Rochelle on July 23 at 6:30 a.m. to pick up 31 owned cats and nine feral cats that have been safely trapped by volunteers. The cats will be taken to their facility, the operations will completed and the cats will be returned by 6 p.m.
Spay Illinois will be offering multiple services for owned cats including a spay/neuter for $42, microchip for $10, rabies vaccination for $10 and IV catheter and fluids for $15. If the cat is feral, it will be spay/neutered and kept overnight to heal and allow the anesthesia to wear off before it’s released the following day at the exact location it was found.

“The idea behind the event is to trap, neuter and return safely” said Jenny Thompson, City of Rochelle director of marketing, public relations and tourism. “This program offers a humane way to control the feral cat population, as well as a low-cost way for local pet owners to have their cats spayed or neutered.”
All cats can be dropped off at the City Hall north parking lot located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Sixth Street and must be brought in a hard-side travel carrier. A 50 percent deposit is also required at the time of registration.
To register an owned cat for a procedure, contact Thompson by phone at 815-561-2006 or via email at jthompson@rochelleil.us. The city currently has room for 14 additional cats and for anybody who was unable to register their cat this time, the city is looking ahead to host another transport day.
“We will most likely try to do another transport day this fall,” Thompson said.  “So be looking out for that information on our Facebook page or in a press release.”