Happy 2026!

We are grateful to begin another calendar year (our fiscal year ends April 30). Here’s a little about what’s going on with us.

• Did you know that to do the things we do, we need to bring in around $10,000 per month? How do we do that? Mostly through donations. We also actively seek grants (Thank you, Milam County and United Spay Alliance.). Lastly, clients who use our services and pay our low-cost fees contribute as well (we’re especially grateful for those of you who choose to tack on a little extra).
• The City of Cameron Shelter had an extraordinary year last year — they took in many more dogs than usual, which means their spay/neuter and medical expenses were greater than anticipated, but their donors are a determined and loyal group, so all of Sandra’s City of Cameron Shelter  $16,167.86 in veterinary expenses were met for 102 dogs. It’s a new year, and we’re starting all over again with just as many needs. I’m confident City of Cameron shelter supporters will come through for them again this year. (just add the memo, Cameron Shelter to your donation check and send to Milam Touch of Love, PO Box 543, Cameron, TX, 76520, or select the Cameron Shelter in your PayPal drop-down box.)
• That leaves about $9,000 a month to raise for low-cost spay and neuter services or Trap, Neuter, Return services.
• We TNR 20 cats before Wellness Day each month.
• On Barn/Porch Cat Day on the second Wednesday of each month, our goal is to spay and neuter 40-45 cats. These are your porch or barn cats that you catch and bring to us. When you do this, you’re making a huge impact on reducing the number of homeless cats and improving the health of the animals you have compassion for.
• On Snip and Chip Day on the fourth Wednesday of the month, our goal is to spay and neuter 30-35 pet dogs and cats. This significantly reduces the number of unwanted puppies and kittens. We still see way too many puppies and kittens advertised in our Facebook group. Remember, there are no accidental litters — if your dog or cat isn’t fixed, it’s only a matter of time before that litter shows up. And don’t think only the females need to be fixed. Your unaltered male is the one responsible for unwanted litters — just because you may not know about it doesn’t reduce your responsibility. Reduce the stress in your male dog’s life by getting him snipped early in life, and you’ll have fewer hassles with him.
• May Day Spay (and Neuter). This program is designed for people who cannot afford even our low-cost rates, so there is no excuse for not getting your dog or cat spayed or neutered. We average one dog and around 24 cats per month on this program. Please contact us privately if you need assistance in this area.
• Do you manage a community cat colony (or simply feed a bunch of cats)? Please register there at https://www.catstats.org/milam. Our plan is to give registered colonies priority for spaying and neutering (TNR) and find other ways to assist colony caretakers.
• Everything we do is enabled by volunteers. We have a solid volunteer group who prepare documents for surgery day, help with check-in, monitor post-surgical dogs and cats to ensure they are recovering well — and notify vet staff if they are not to ensure prompt action if taken if needed, and help get your dog and cat back to you at the end of the day. We also have a great group of people who ensure our vet team and volunteers get fed so they don’t have to worry about breakfast or lunch on our event days. Most of our volunteers are needed on Wednesdays, so if you’re 18 or older and want to help out on surgery day, please let us know. We have behind-the-scenes people who work fundraising and a few other jobs as well. If you think you have something special to offer us, please email mtolvolunteer@gmail.com.
• If you want to donate to us, make checks payable to Milam Touch of Love and send them to PO Box 543, Cameron, TX 76520. We also accept PayPal at donations@milamtouchoflove.com (you can also search our name in PayPal’s system). Our Donate page is also a good source: https://www.milamtouchoflove.org/help-us/donate/
• In February, we plan to have a 100-cat event on Barn Cat Day. As I mentioned last month, the Milam County Grant will be suspended for this event only. Cost per barn cat will be slightly reduced to $50 per cat, and Porch Cats will cost $65 per cat. Registration will open a few days after January’s Barn Cat Registration closes.

Lastly, to help extend the life of the Milam County Grant, we plan to reduce the amount of each grant beginning in January to $40 per animal.