Pāʻia, Maui, Hawaii / April 18, 2025
GOOD CAT NETWORK RECEIVES $100K GRANT AND LAUNCHES HAVE A NICE SPAY, A NO-COST SPAY AND NEUTER PROGRAM
Good Cat Network was awarded a $100,000 grant from the JR Peterson Foundation to operate Have A Nice Spay, a no-cost feline spay and neuter program to help address the cat overpopulation crisis affecting the island of Maui.
Good Cat Network, founded in 2021 and best known for its transfer program, Operation Aloha Cat, whereby partnering with local cat rescue non-profits, over 1000 adoptable Maui cats have been flown off-island to transfer partners on the continent.
Like Operation Aloha Cat, Good Cat Network has partnered with local non-profits for its Have A Nice Spay program. Program partners The Rusty MauiCat Collective and Kitty Charm Farm organize trapping teams who are trained to assist those in the community who are financially unable to address their growing backyard and colony cat populations.
In the near future, appointments will be open to the public who find themselves caring for cats they consider pets but cannot afford to sterilize.
“We want to save as many cats by transferring them off-island to their forever homes, but we can’t keep up with the endless supply of cats,” said Darlene Rayhill, Good Cat Network Executive Director. “With the ongoing housing and economic crisis affecting Maui, many are on a fixed income and have cats that are reproducing out of control in their own backyards. We want to help put a cork in that situation!”
The inaugural Have A Nice Spay took place on April 5th, 2025 at Heritage Hall in Pāʻia. Dr. Celina Hatt, a HQHVSN (high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter) veterinarian who owns Animal House Vet Center on Oʻahu, flew in from California for the event.
“It was an honor to be the first veterinarian to participate in this community service,” said Dr. Hatt, “even though we are separated by ocean water, in Hawaiʻi we are a whole island community united in providing for our animals. The human-animal bond is a powerful thing and to be a part of that reality as a veterinarian is very special. I look forward to coming back this summer to help again.”
Surgeons Dr. Hatt and Dr. Zoya Jouravska with a support team of Veterinary Technicians and volunteers led by Clinic Manager Rachel Zawacki, performed 74 spay and neuter surgeries on cats brought in by The Rusty MauiCat Collective, Kitty Charm Farm and Good Cat Network trapping teams. Along with sterilization, all cats received FVRCP vaccinations and microchips.
In addition to the $100,000 grant from The JR Peterson Foundation, Good Cat Network received a $10,000 grant from Neighborhood Cats, $10,000 from local supporters Gary Thompson and Sara Patton, a donated anesthesia machine from Maui Humane Society, and surgical tools from Aloha Veterinary Care in support of Have A Nice Spay.
Have A Nice Spay will run through 2025 offering monthly clinics with a goal of sterilizing 1275 cats.
Media/PR Contact: Darlene Rayhill, Executive Director darlene@goodcatnetwork.org
Images and Video: Have A Nice Spay (use How to Credit document for references for whom to credit)
Good Cat Network, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in 2021 and specializes in collaborating with other local non-profits in its programs to help Maui’s cats. www.goodcatnetwork.org
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