WORCESTER — The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has launched mobile spay and neuter services for both dogs and cats, a first in the organization’s history.
A special van that will travel to spay and neuter dogs and cats in Massachusetts went into service on Monday, MSPCA-Angell officials said in a statement.
The program is geared toward addressing the nationwide backlog of dogs and cats in shelters needing to be spayed or neutered, shelter officials said.
There is a great need to spay and neuter homeless animals. Local shelter officials said the procedure is often left to local animal shelters, which take in the animals.
In 2025, only 25% of dogs and 23% of cats who had arrived at shelters were already spayed or neutered, according to Shelter Animals Count, a national database for animal shelter statistics.
This leaves the remaining procedures to be performed by shelter staff before the animals are adopted.
“Across the country, shelter resources have been stretched thin while staff try their best to keep up with the number of animals needing to be spayed or neutered,” Mike Keiley, vice president of the MSPCA-Angell’s Animal Protection Division, said in a statement.
“We’re not immune to this in Massachusetts, especially given the current hold on accepting new applications for the Mass Animal Fund’s Spay/Neuter Voucher Program,” Keiley said. “The waitlist for this program alone exceeds 200 animals.”
“If we don’t begin to chip away at the backlog on a local level by expanding affordable spay and neuter access, this issue will continue to snowball,” Keiley said.
Zeroing in on an Area in Need
The Massachusetts Animal Shelter Support (MASS) coalition was formed in 2024 with the mission to jointly confront a variety of problems affecting animals across Massachusetts communities.
“An area of focus for the coalition has been to work together to find homes for animals faster,” Keiley said. “For this to happen, the operations within these shelters need to be running smoothly and effectively.”
Last June, the Worcester Animal Rescue League, in collaboration with MSPCA-Angell, instituted several changes to strengthen its operations and maximize its impact.
The Worcester shelter “has done a lot of work to greatly improve how they’re able to serve animals in Worcester,” Keiley said. “We’re grateful we were able to help with these efforts and look forward to working together to further develop a vital service.”
The mobile spay and neuter van will first serve dogs and cats at the Worcester Animal Rescue League and will operate 2 days per week, aiming to perform 200 procedures each month.
Currently, veterinary resources onsite at the Worcester shelter are limited, Keiley said.
“On top of that, the shelter often receives intact strays from the city’s animal control officers, and as a result, the backlog continues to grow,” Keiley said, adding that this also reduces the league’s ability to take in more animals as the shelter fills up.
“We’re optimistic,” Keiley said, adding that the joint venture will result in both animals getting adopted more quickly and increase the Worcester league’s ability to take in more animals needing to find homes.
Expanding Reach
Mobile spay and neuter services are expected to be offered to resident dogs and cats in Worcester neighborhoods soon, Keiley said.
“Worcester is not only the second largest city in New England, but its poverty rate is nearly double the average for both its county and Massachusetts,” Keiley said. “Because of this, we anticipate a lot of need in the community.”
The spay-and-neuter van is a collaborative effort among the MSPCA-Angell, Fido Fixers, and the Bissell Pet Foundation’s Fix the Future program, officials said.
“This is an exciting endeavor for us,” Keiley said. “It’ll allow us to rehome more animals while addressing the community overpopulation that leads to crowded shelters.”
The MSPCA-Angell and Worcester Animal Rescue League will post updates on how to sign up on their websites and social media channels, he said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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