Street Kitty Medical Fund

Stray cat on street. Abandoned pet. Animal without eye.

An estimated 82,000 free-roaming cats live on the streets of Baltimore, where even a minor illness or injury can quickly become life-threatening without medical care. The Street Kitty Medical Fund was created to provide urgent medical and dental treatment for these vulnerable cats, and has become a critical resource for the volunteers dedicated to their care.

Since its launch in May 2019, the Street Kitty Medical Fund has funded more than 2,500 emergency veterinary visits and surgeries for approximately 2,136 cats. Beyond saving lives, the fund has also opened the door to better futures: 54% of the cats treated through the program have gone on to be adopted into loving homes after their recovery.

In 2019, Show Your Soft Side (SYSS) created a Medical Assistance Fund to assist community cat caretakers living in the Baltimore area with extraordinary medical expenses for feral, stray, abandoned, and community cats.

Demands for assistance from our Medical Fund have grown dramatically each year, and without an endowment, underwriter, or other funding source, the current demand is not sustainable for our small, all-volunteer non-profit. Beginning in January 2023, we must limit funding requests to community cats in the following zip codes, which historically have represented the areas of greatest need: 21201, 21202, 21205, 21206, 21207, 21209,21210, 21211, 21212, 21213, 21214, 21215, 21216, 21217, 21218, 21220, 21221, 21222, 21223, 21224, 21225, 21226, 21227, 21229, 21230, 21231, 21237, 21239 and 21287. Unfortunately, we can no longer accept requests outside these zip codes.

Please read these guidelines before submitting an application for funding.

  1. If you suspect a feral, stray or community cat has been the victim of animal abuse, immediately call 311 or your local animal control. If you witness a cat being abused, call 911 immediately.
  2. The SYSS Street Kitty Medical Fund (Fund) is limited to feral, stray, abandoned, and community cats. The Fund will not be used to treat cats that either have homes or live indoors/outdoors.
  3. The Fund will pay for urgent care necessary to alleviate suffering and/or improve the quality of life for community cats. Funding requests for routine care and wellness visits will not be considered or covered, and any such charges will be the responsibility of the caretaker. However, in the event  a caretaker seeks treatment for a sick or injured cat that is unaltered, and that cat needs to be sedated for treatment, we will cover its neuter or spay in that situation. Caretakers will be obligated to pay for all other routine care.
  4. Funding decisions will only be considered prospectively and with partner veterinarians*. We will discuss with you your options for emergency care, dental procedures and surgeries. Please do not contact us after making an appointment with your personal veterinarian, as these requests will not be considered.
  5. Prior to any veterinary care being rendered, please confirm that the treating veterinarian has scanned any cat for a microchip. Show Your Soft Side cannot cover veterinary treatment for owned cats.
  6. The maximum disbursement for any individual cat is $750.00. SYSS cannot exceed this limit unless a caretaker engages in supplemental fundraising. Disbursements will be made directly to veterinary hospitals after funding has been approved and treatment is scheduled. Disbursements are never paid directly to individuals.
  7. If necessary, SYSS will cover the cost of humane euthanasia and cremation. Caretakers are responsible for the additional costs of private cremation.
  8. Given the high volume of requests, SYSS utilizes a team of Board members to respond to medical fund requests on a rotating schedule. We ask that you not contact individual Board members except in a true emergency. Please note that most requests submitted after 9 pm will not be reviewed until the following morning.
  9. SYSS will use its best efforts to allocate funds responsibly each year. SYSS reserves the right to deny funding for any reason, including failure to comply with these guidelines, but will not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, age, gender identity, religion or other factors protected by federal law.
  10. Funding requests exceed the resources available for this Medical Fund and SYSS is immensely grateful to caretakers who assist with online fundraising, which makes this Fund sustainable. Caretakers are expected to engage in supplementary fundraising when veterinary expenditures for a particular cat exceeds $750.00.
  11. SYSS cannot consider requests for community cats outside of the zip codes listed above.

*Partner veterinarians include Cat Sense Feline Hospital, Evergreen Veterinary Clinic, Everhart Animal Hospital, Everhart WellPet Center, Everhart Veterinary Cross Keys, Homeward Bound Veterinary Services, Homeward Bound Urgent Care, Metro Ferals/Green Acres Pet Center, Pikesville Vet, Seibel Veterinary Services, Spay Now, THRIVE Pet Healthcare, Timonium Animal Hospital and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

Please read the guidelines before submitting an application for funding.

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