About Us
SOS (Spay Our Strays) is an all-volunteer Trap Neuter Return (TNR) organization servicing Central Kentucky. We educate the community about the importance of TNR and best practices for community cat colony caregivers. We facilitate spay and neuter services for feral, stray, and community cats. As of April 2024, SOS has facilitated over 7,600 spay/neuter surgeries since 2010!
80% of kittens born in the United States each year are born to outdoor community cats. TNR is the most humane solution to the cat overpopulation crisis all over the globe. Cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped, recovered in a safe environment, and released back to their original home. The ear tip is a universal sign that a cat has been altered. The cats then have fewer health issues and are no longer be able to reproduce. This results in less homeless cats, less stress on already-crowded animal shelters, and less cause for euthanasia. TNR saves lives.
Our Story
We began our work in 2003 with a small group of passionate individuals. Penny Medley, an employee of the University of Kentucky at the time, spotted several homeless cats and kittens in the UK parking lot. She knew something had to be done to end the cycle and invited other animal-loving peers to her kitchen for a meeting. Spay Our Strays was born.
In those early days, we helped as many cats as possible with the limited resources we had, at one point operating a spay/neuter clinic out of a garage. Our volunteers tabled at community events and gave out information on our organization and the importance of spay/neuter. We were one of the only TNR service providers in Central Kentucky, and folks brought cats from nearby counties to our clinics. Since then, many have started their own TNR programs in their respective counties. SOS became a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization in 2012. We are now proud to partner with local organizations and vet clinics including Focus Veterinary Care, Lexington Humane Society, and Eastland Animal Clinic.
