SPA Cantal

What SPA Cantal does

SPA Cantal (legal name: Société Protectrice des Animaux du Cantal le 15) is a French nonprofit animal welfare association (association loi 1901) operating the Refuge SPA le 15 in Arpajon-sur-Cère, near Aurillac. Founded on 2 November 2001 at the initiative of Aurillac Agglomération (CABA), which owns the shelter buildings, the organization rescues and rehomes abandoned and stray dogs and cats across the 25 communes of Aurillac Agglomération. The refuge provides dog and cat adoption services (€80–€305 per animal, depending on species, sex, and age), a statutorily mandated fourrière (animal pound) service for municipalities (€45 intake fee plus €10–€13/day boarding), temporary boarding/pension facilities, animal sponsorship programs, and post-adoption welfare monitoring. It is operationally constrained to 20 main kennel boxes, 5 fourrière boxes, 4 boarding boxes, and 4 dedicated cat rooms, and as of the latest disclosure is at full capacity and not accepting new animals.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding structure combining transaction-based fees (adoptions, abandonment, boarding, fourrière), recurring revenue (annual memberships at €30 standard / €15 reduced, monthly donations), lump-sum donations (partially 66% tax-deductible), legacies and bequests, corporate mécénat, and municipal subsidies from member communes (explicitly described as insufficient to cover operations). Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer and direct-to-government through physical refuge visits during posted opening hours, supplemented by a basic website, Facebook/Instagram presence, and digital fundraising platforms (Hello Asso, Lilo). The organization is affiliated with the Confédération Nationale des SPA de France (250 SPAs, 87 departments, 461,000 members) and receives in-kind support from the Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis (2 tonnes of kibble annually, infrastructure grants, Operation Doyens veterinary reimbursements up to €800–€1,000 per adopted senior animal). Leadership is provided by an entirely volunteer board of directors under President Florence Gamel, supported by 4 salaried animal care agents and a regular volunteer base.

No proprietary technology platform, software product, AI capability, or third-party integrations beyond a basic CMS-based website are described. The shelter's competitive position rests on a regulated fourrière mandate, local SPA brand recognition, and the operational backing of national federated networks.

Name

SPA Cantal

Legal name

SOCIÉTÉ PROTECTRICE DES ANIMAUX DU CANTAL LE 15

Website

https://spacantal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SPA Cantal is a French nonprofit animal welfare association operating the Refuge SPA le 15 in Arpajon-sur-Cère, near Aurillac. It rescues, shelters, and rehomes abandoned dogs and cats across the 25 communes of Aurillac Agglomération, and provides adoption, fourrière, boarding, and sponsorship services funded by fees, donations, memberships, and municipal subsidies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Shelter and Welfare Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB), Spay/Neuter & Population Control Programs (BPAGAIAE)

Keywords

• Animal shelter services
• Pet adoption services
• Municipal animal pound
• Pet boarding services
• Animal welfare nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Arpajon-sur-Cère

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership fees from supporters: €30 minimum standard, €15 for students, unemployed, and RMistes with proof. Membership is required to walk dogs or access certain volunteer benefits.
2. Donations (lumpsum and monthly): One-time and recurring donations from individuals. Donations are partially tax-deductible (66% deductible up to 20% of taxable income). Monthly recurring donations also solicited.
3. Municipal subsidies: Subventions granted by some communes of Aurillac Agglomération. These subsidies are insufficient to cover operational needs.
4. Adoption fees: Fees charged to adopters of dogs and cats. Dog male/chip: €295; Dog female: €305; Cat male: €195; Cat female: €205; Reduced to €80 for animals aged 8+ (Operation Sauvetage).
5. Fourrière (animal pound) fees: Fees charged to municipalities for stray animal intake. Aurillac municipality: €45 (payable to Treasury); other communes: €45 (payable to SPA du Cantal). Plus daily boarding fees: €13/dog/day, €10/cat/day.
6. Abandonment fees: Fees charged to owners surrendering animals: dog €50, puppy under 6 months €20, cat €35, kitten under 6 months €15.
7. Boarding/pension fees: Temporary boarding services for pets. Dog boarding: €13/day, €11/day after 15 days. Cat boarding: €10/day, €7/day after 15 days.
8. Animal sponsorship: Patronage/sponsorship of individual shelter animals. Sponsors contribute to veterinary and feeding costs of a chosen animal.
9. Legacies and bequests: Testaments and legs (legs are dispositions by will; donations are irrevocable lifetime gifts). The Confédération Nationale provides brochure information through notaries.
10. Corporate sponsorship (mécénat): Companies can make financial or material donations in support of the shelter's general interest activities, benefiting from tax deductions. The shelter actively seeks corporate sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SPA Cantal runs a physical animal refuge that rescues, shelters, and rehomes abandoned, stray, and surrendered dogs and cats in the Cantal department of France. Beyond adoption placement, it serves as the official municipal fourrière (animal pound) for 25 communes of Aurillac Agglomération, operates temporary pet boarding/pension services, and runs a membership and animal sponsorship program.

Product overview

SPA Cantal operates as an animal shelter offering a unified service centered on animal rescue, temporary housing, and adoption placement. The core offerings include dog and cat adoption services organized by age category (puppies/kittens, young, adults, seniors), municipal pound (fourrière) services for stray animals, and temporary boarding facilities. Supplementary services include animal sponsorship programs and membership/donation opportunities. The shelter is affiliated with the Confédération Nationale (250 SPA associations in France) and supported by the Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis. The refuge opened November 2, 2001 and is located in Arpajon-sur-Cère near Aurillac.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dog Adoption Services Placement services for abandoned and rescued dogs, including puppies, young dogs, adults, and seniors. All adoptions include microchipping (mandatory since 1 Jan 2012), vaccination, and sterilization per French law, with adoption fees of €295 for males and €305 for females, and a reduced €80 fee under Operation Sauvetage for dogs aged 8 and above.
• Cat Adoption Services Placement services for abandoned and rescued cats and kittens, including kittens, young cats, and adults. Adoption fees are €195 for males and €205 for females, with a reduced €80 fee for cats aged 8 and above under Operation Sauvetage. All adoptions include microchipping, vaccination, and sterilization.
• Animal Shelter and Pound Services (Fourrière) Municipal pound services for stray dogs and cats operated under mayoral authority across the 25 communes of Aurillac Agglomération. Animals are held for the legally required 8-day period before becoming available for adoption, with daily boarding fees of €13/dog/day and €10/cat/day.
• Animal Boarding/Pension Services Temporary boarding facilities for cats and dogs belonging to association members, with daily rates of €13 for dogs and €10 for cats, reduced to €11/day and €7/day after 15 consecutive days. Requires active membership, up-to-date vaccinations, and microchip or tattoo identification.
• Animal Sponsorship Program (Parrainage) Monthly sponsorship program allowing supporters to contribute to the veterinary and feeding costs of a specific shelter animal of their choice.
• Annual Membership Program Annual membership with fees of €30 minimum for standard members and €15 for students, unemployed, and RMistes with proof. Membership is required to walk dogs or access certain volunteer benefits, and donations to the association are 66% tax-deductible up to 20% of taxable income.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 tonnes of kibble supplied per year by Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aurillac Agglomération (CABA) / Communauté d'Agglomération du Bassin d'AurillaccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 November 2001Aurillac Agglomération (formerly Communauté d'Agglomération du Bassin d'Aurillac, CABA) owns the shelter buildings and initiated the creation of the refuge on 2 November 2001. It provides partial municipal subsidies to the shelter, though these are described as insufficient to cover operational costs.
• Confédération Nationale des SPA de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPA du Cantal le 15 is an independent, autonomous association affiliated to the Confédération Nationale, whose headquarters is in Lyon. The Confédération groups 250 SPA associations across 87 French departments and 461,000 members. Founded in 1926 and recognized as an organization of public utility since 1 October 1990, it allows member associations to receive tax-exempt legacies.
• Fondation 30 Millions d'AmiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis supports SPA du Cantal le 15 through: financial reimbursement of veterinary expenses, annual supply of 2 tonnes of kibble, provision of kennels and bowls, and funding of kennel maintenance works (e.g., door insulation in 2009). It also runs Operation Doyens: reimburses up to €800 (dogs) or €1,000 (cats) of veterinary costs for adopters of animals aged 10+.
• LilominorGTM or Marketing PartnerLilo is a search engine that donates free 'drops' (Lilos) when users search, which can be accumulated and donated to a chosen cause. SPA Cantal receives Lilo donations as a fundraising mechanism. The organization's Lilo page is accessible at lilo.org/s-p-a-du-cantal-le15/.
• Hello AssominorGTM or Marketing PartnerHello Asso provides an online donation platform enabling SPA Cantal to collect one-time and recurring donations digitally. The association's Hello Asso page is used to process donations.
• Club Cynophile ArpajonnaisminorOthersThe Club Cynophile Arpajonnais offers free dog training sessions (séances d'éducation) to adopters of dogs from the refuge, supporting responsible dog ownership post-adoption.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals): Large US animal welfare nonprofit. Comparable mission (animal rescue, adoption, anti-cruelty advocacy) and similarly diversified revenue model (donations, adoptions, bequests), but operates at vastly larger scale and is a useful international benchmark for shelter operating models.
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA): UK's largest animal welfare charity, operating shelters, rescue services, and advocacy. Comparable as a national-scope nonprofit running an animal shelter network with similar services (adoption, investigation, advocacy) and a comparable donation-funded business model.
• Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis: Major French animal welfare foundation that funds refuges, including SPA Cantal, with kibble, veterinary cost reimbursements, and infrastructure grants. Operates the Operation Doyens programme. Comparable as a similarly-missioned animal welfare funding entity, though structurally a foundation rather than an operating shelter.
• Confédération Nationale des SPA de France: The national federation of 250 SPA associations across 87 French departments. SPA Cantal is affiliated with this body. Comparable as the umbrella organisation overseeing the same shelter/adoption model nationwide, providing legitimacy, tax-exempt legacy status, and shared infrastructure.

Regional players

• Refuge de l'Espoir: Independent nonprofit animal shelter serving another region of France. Comparable as a similarly-sized, volunteer-supported refuge offering dog/cat adoption, but operating in a different geographic territory without the SPA national network affiliation.

Others

• Hello Asso: French tech-enabled donation platform used by nonprofits including SPA Cantal. Not a peer in animal welfare but a key GTM/technology partner — included here as an ecosystem enabler helping the shelter collect one-time and recurring donations digitally.

Direct peers

• Société Protectrice des Animaux (Lyon & Rhône): Regional SPA association serving the Lyon/Rhône area, part of the same 250-SPA national network. Operates directly comparable shelter, adoption, and fourrière services and shares the SPA brand, federation membership, and operating model with SPA Cantal.
• SPA Marseille Provence: Regional SPA shelter in Marseille providing dog/cat rescue, adoption, and pound services. Direct peer in operating model (nonprofit shelter, Confédération Nationale affiliation, fourrière mandate) though at meaningfully larger scale in an urban setting.
• SPA de Paris: The flagship Société Protectrice des Animaux (SPA) association in France, founded in 1845. Operates the largest network of animal shelters and adoption services in the country. Comparable as a directly affiliated SPA shelter providing dog/cat rescue, adoption, and fourrière services, though the data explicitly notes SPA Cantal is independent from SPA de Paris.

Emerging players

• Société Centrale Canine (SCC): French kennel club and studbook authority. While not a shelter, it operates in adjacent animal welfare territory with breed registration, dog identification, and breeder education programmes that intersect with SPA Cantal's adoption and fourrière mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spa-cantal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SPA Cantal