Our Mission

The mission of Second Chance Fund for Animal Welfare is to reduce the suffering of homeless cats in Central Massachusetts by preventing the tragedy before it begins. We achieve this by offering affordable, accessible spay and neuter services for pet cats and tame strays. We also provide counseling on difficult pet issues and care for catastrophic illness or injury of dogs and cats from economically challenged households. 

Few pet lovers can imagine life without the company of animals, due to the richness, amusement, and unconditional love they bring. So for us, street cats tell a heartbreaking tale. In many cases, homeless cats and kittens are the product of households that cherish their pets but cannot afford the vital, one-time expense of having them spayed or neutered. Sadly, too often the result is unwanted litters, nuisance behaviors of unaltered females and males, and ultimately abandonment.

Second Chance Fund for Animal Welfare (SCFAW) was founded in 2001 with a vision of ending the suffering of homeless cats in Central Massachusetts. We accomplish this through the humane procedure of spaying and neutering. With the help of volunteers throughout the region and the support of local veterinarians, we have altered more than 12,000 animals, mainly tame and homeless (feral, lost, or abandoned) cats. In our early years we also spayed/neutered dogs.

This work has reduced the tragedy of cat overpopulation and helped our feline friends live healthier, happier lives. In turn, a greater number of financially challenged households are able to keep their beloved pets rather than give them up for adoption or abandon them to the dangers and challenges of the streets.

SCFAW also offers a range of educational resources, social activities, and volunteer opportunities focused on the compassionate reduction of cat overpopulation in Central Massachusetts.

SCFAW was conceived in October 2000 and incorporated as an IRS-recognized, Massachusetts-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in July 2001. We have more than 100 volunteers and a small, part-time paid staff.

SCFAW was founded with a vision of ending the suffering and homelessness of cats in Worcester County, MA. This remains our vision today. We began by trapping street cats to spay and neuter them, then return them to their “homes,” a method known as TNR.  

Two years after we were founded, we added a rescue component to the TNR program to handle kittens and very tame cats we encountered (recent former pets). Immediately we realized the problem was bigger than we were resourced to handle. The rescue aspect alone was so time-consuming and expensive, it slowed our efforts with population control. And Worcester County already had 15 other shelters and rescue groups taking on this work. 

So, six years ago we strategically shifted our focus to controlling the flow of new entrants to the homeless population, namely intact pet cats of economically challenged households. From this was born our CatSNIP Clinics program—high volume, subsidized clinics for those in need.  Every day our volunteers work side-by-side with economically challenged pet owners throughout Worcester County to help them retain their pets through spaying and neutering, care for catastrophic illness and injury, and counseling on troubling behaviors.