Texoma promotes Spay and Neuter Month to address stray crisis

Across the country, there’s a large number of stray animals, dumped animals, and surrendered animals, without enough resources to care for them. In areas with large cities, there are more available options to address this concern but in states like Oklahoma and Texas, which are greatly made up of smaller communities, are severely lacking the means to confront it. While the information about the importance of fixing pets is out there, accessible resources are much scarcer.

Every February is recognized as Spay and Neuter Month, in which pet owners and pet rescuers alike are encouraged to get cats and dogs fixed to decrease the number of strays. However, generally the people who recognize the significance of the month-long initiative aren’t the ones in need of hearing its message. In most cases, people who don’t get their pets fixed can’t afford to, don’t make time to, or don’t believe in it morally. Of course, breeders are another factor in overpopulation.

Marcia Cronk, the founder of Comanche County Pet Resource Foundation (CCPRF) said some cities have laws in which fixing your pets is required. She added that she believes a lack of affordable spay and neuter resources and a lack of enforced regulations around getting pets fixed is the biggest contributor to pet overpopulation.

While Lawton and Wichita Falls do have low-income veterinary options to get their pets fixed, these locations are heavily utilized, making them less accessible than they were intended to be. The Animal Birth Control Clinic in Lawton and the PETS clinic in Wichita Falls are both nonprofit clinics intended to supply vet care for a considerably reduced price, but their affordability often results in them being the preferred option. While this might sound like a positive thing, it results in the clinics being short of resources and booked full for several months at a time. Because of this, people needing to get their pets fixed have to book months in advance, which sometimes results in unintentional litters.

Recently, Texas and Oklahoma did announce grant funding to help provide finances for the cause. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) allotted $13,000,000 for the Texas Spay and Neuter Pilot Program. The program spans two years and allows applicants to apply for assistance in covering spay and neuter procedures. In Oklahoma a bill is being considered to establish the Oklahoma Spay and Neuter Grant Program. The program would assist in providing affordable spay and neuter options to people who can’t afford it otherwise. Regardless, for the problem to be corrected, it will require effort on a local level as well.

“Fixing pets will be the only way to ‘fix’ the overpopulation crisis. There are just too many pets and not enough homes for them to go to. This is especially true with ‘accidental’ litters and backyard breeders,” Cronk said. “We can build bigger shelter space, but that space will be full in a week with pets that can't find homes.”

Cronk noted that another very important factor in addressing the stray crisis is pet organizations, including those that are city-led, supplying families with resources and support for their pets. She explained that pet supply pantries and assistance with affording veterinary care would greatly reduce this problem. Many of the animals in shelters are due to owner surrenders, which is commonly a result of a lack of housing or funds to accommodate those pets. Ultimately, the pets are the ones that pay the biggest price for that.

Lawton Animal Welfare and Animal Services of Wichita Falls recently released the numbers that reflect their last year. These numbers include intakes, adoptions, and animals euthanized. While no one likes to see the latter, it’s an important detail in expressing how dire the overpopulation issue is. The more animals that are being taken in by the shelter, the more likely it is that some of those animals will be put down.

Last February Lawton Animal Welfare released a report that reflected that they took in 214 cats and dogs, 95 of those were adopted, and 54 were euthanized. However, some months reflect even more devastating numbers. For instance, in June of 2025 they released a report that reflected that they took in 395, 82 were adopted, and 184 were euthanized.

The City of Wichita Falls Animal Services posted their numbers for January 2026 recently. These numbers reflected 173 total animal intakes, 30 were adopted, and 62 were euthanized. In the post, the shelter called on the public to help address the issue by spaying and neutering pets and getting them microchipped and registered with the city.

Cronk can recall an instance where she saw the direct impact providing resources to pet families can make. A family living outside of city limits had more dogs than they could afford to properly care for. Cronk said CCPRF was able to assist them with spay and neuter, food, and helped them find homes for some of the puppies.

“This family loves their dogs and wanted help. It made a huge difference for them and the dogs on the property,” Cronk said.

Cronk also noted that CCPRF has witnessed how much of a difference TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) programs make as many of the strays that cities need to address are feral cats. She said that some of these animals they were able to find homes for, but that’s not always the case so at least stopping the cycle that contributes to overpopulation is something.

CCPRF does what they can to help provide families in Southwest Oklahoma with spay and neuter resources, but they can only do so much on their own. They currently have a campaign to assist in fixing up to 10 pets a month with a $50 voucher per pet. Those in need can apply for the program here.

However, Cronk pointed out that even if all nonprofits were able to help address spay and neuter costs for families in need, it still wouldn’t be enough to fix the stray problem. She said for the issue to truly be addressed, government officials must be involved. 

“Animal shelters are doing everything they can with the resources they have. If local government does not start to support animal welfare organizations, the problem will continue to get worse,” Cronk said.

Cronk encourages individuals who are concerned about the issue to reach out to city officials and demand action. She also encourages people to learn about the resources available in their area. Even if they don’t need them, they may know someone who does. She said that government funded shelters are beginning to partner with nonprofits to address the issue but for these efforts to be successful, city officials and community members must be involved.

“We can't do this alone! Email your representative, show up at city and county meetings, get involved,” Cronk concluded.