Spay & Stay

What Spay & Stay does

Spay and Stay is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2002 in Grayslake, Illinois, and operates as the first and only Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) group serving Lake County, Illinois. The organization's core function is facilitating the trapping, sterilization, vaccination, microchipping, and return of feral and stray outdoor cats, along with rehoming friendly cats and placing working cats in barn settings for rodent control. It has sterilized and vaccinated approximately 30,000 cats since its founding, operating through a 100% volunteer-run model with five listed individuals and no paid staff.

The organization delivers services through four primary channels: (1) a TNR program that loans traps, trains caretakers, and coordinates same-day drop-off and pickup at partner veterinary clinics; (2) a cat adoption program with fees of $100-$150 covering spay/neuter, vaccination, microchipping, and deworming; (3) a Barn Cat Placement program relocating fixed feral cats to working properties; and (4) a Forever Foster Program providing lifetime care to unadoptable special-needs cats. Distribution occurs through weekend adoption events at Pet Supplies Plus in Waukegan and Grayslake Feed Sales, Petfinder and Adopt-A-Pet marketplace listings, and direct caretaker registration.

Revenue is sourced from individual donations, grants from six-plus charitable foundations (including Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, AHIMSA Foundation, Charles Schwab Foundation, Helen Brach Foundation, and Negaunee Foundation), a $50 TNR copay per cat that covers only a portion of the average $117-plus veterinary cost per animal, and adoption fees. The organization holds GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency and is governed by a Board of Directors, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or institutional investors.

Name

Spay & Stay

Legal name

Spay and Stay

Website

https://spayandstay.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spay and Stay is a 501(c)(3) non-profit in Lake County, Illinois that has sterilized and vaccinated roughly 30,000 feral and stray cats since 2002 through volunteer-run Trap-Neuter-Return, cat adoption, and barn cat placement programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Spay/Neuter & Population Control Programs (BPAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA), Foster & Volunteer Network Programs (BPAGAIAF)

Keywords

• Feral cat TNR
• Trap neuter return
• Cat adoption services
• Animal welfare nonprofit
• Community cat care

Headquarters

HQ city

Grayslake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations including sponsors like Litterbox, Tuft and Paw, Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, AHIMSA Foundation, Charles Schwab Foundation, Helen Brach Foundation, Negaunee Foundation, and Whiskertons.
2. TNR Service Copay: $50 copay for TNR services covers only a portion of actual costs ($100+ average for sterilization, $12 for vaccinations, $5 for microchip, $5 for flea treatment). Remaining costs covered by donations and grants.
3. Cat Adoption Fees: Adoption fees: $100-$150 for cats/kittens based on age. Covers spay/neuter, vaccination, microchipping, deworming, and medical prep costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Spay and Stay facilitates the trapping, sterilization, vaccination, and return (TNR) of feral and stray outdoor cats in Lake County, Illinois. It also places vetted cats and kittens into adoptive homes, relocates feral cats to barns and rural properties as working cats, and provides lifelong Foster care for special-needs cats. All services are delivered through a 100% volunteer workforce using trap lending, caretaker coaching, and partner veterinary clinics.

Product overview

Spay & Stay operates as a single-program non-profit organization focused exclusively on TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) services for feral and stray cats in Lake County, Illinois. The organization provides a comprehensive suite of cat welfare services including TNR program facilitation, cat adoption, barn cat placement, and Forever Foster care for special needs cats. The core TNR service includes trap lending, veterinary coordination, and caretaker education. All services are delivered through volunteer-powered operations without a technology platform or modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TNR Services (Trap, Neuter, Return) Facilitates the trapping, sterilization, vaccination, microchipping, and ear-tipping of feral and stray outdoor cats in Lake County, Illinois, then returns them to their original colonies. Includes trap loans, caretaker training, veterinary appointment coordination, and post-surgery colony care guidance. Caretakers pay a $50 copay; remaining veterinary costs are covered by donations and grants.
• Cat Adoption Program Facilitates adoption of sterilized, vaccinated, microchipped, dewormed, and FELV/FIV-tested cats and kittens into permanent homes. Includes adoption application processing, meet-and-greet coordination, and home delivery. Adoption fees range from $100 to $150 based on age.
• Barn Cat Placement Places fixed, vaccinated feral cats from Lake County into safe outdoor homes such as barns, stables, or outbuildings for natural rodent control. Cats do not serve as companion animals but thrive as working pest control.
• Forever Foster Program Lifelong in-home care program for cats with disabilities or chronic illnesses that make them unadoptable. Cats receive medical attention, food, and comfort for life through donated support.
• Trap Depot & Lending Services Provides loaner humane traps to caretakers along with hands-on training in trapping techniques, placement strategies, and post-surgery recovery care instructions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 30,000 cats sterilized and vaccinated since 2002
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• LitterboxminorOthersSponsor providing all-natural clumping litter support. Logo appears in sponsors section.
• Tuft and PawminorOthersSponsor providing cat product support. Logo appears in sponsors section.
• WhiskertonsminorOthersSponsor providing cat products. Logo appears in sponsors section.
• Pet Supplies PluscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost venue for weekly adoption events at their Waukegan location. Provides retail space for cat adoption events every Saturday.
• Grayslake Feed SalescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost venue for adoption events. Located at 21 N Seymour Ave, Grayslake IL 60030.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FixNation: Los Angeles-based nonprofit dedicated to TNR and humane cat population control. Directly comparable operating model: free/low-cost spay-neuter, trap lending, cat adoption, and barn cat placement — a regional TNR specialist serving a defined metro area.
• Neighborhood Cats: New York City-based TNR-focused nonprofit providing trap lending, training, and caretaker education. Closely comparable as a grassroots TNR organization with similar volunteer-driven, education-first operating model.

Broad incumbents

• PAWS Chicago: Large Chicago-area animal welfare nonprofit offering adoption, spay/neuter, and community programs. Comparable as a regional Illinois animal welfare nonprofit, though much larger in scale and broader in scope (dogs and cats).
• Alley Cat Allies: National TNR advocacy and education organization headquartered in Maryland. While much larger and focused on policy/training rather than direct service, it is the most recognized TNR-aligned nonprofit in the US and directly comparable in mission (humane feral cat population control).
• ASPCA: National animal welfare organization with spay/neuter grants, mobile clinics, and adoption programs. Comparable mission (humane population control) but operates at national scale and is not TNR-specialized.
• Best Friends Animal Society: National no-kill animal welfare leader operating sanctuary, adoption, and spay/neuter programs. Comparable in mission (humane population control, adoption) but vastly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): Largest US animal welfare advocacy organization with national spay/neuter and TNR programs. Comparable at mission level but operates at advocacy/policy scale rather than direct-service TNR in a single county.

Regional players

• Charlie's Project (formerly Operation Kindness/Cat Depot): Volunteer-driven TNR and feral cat organization. Comparable as a grassroots TNR program, though younger and smaller in scale than Spay & Stay's 30,000-cat franchise.
• Tree House Humane Society: Chicago-area cat-focused humane organization operating a high-volume spay-neuter clinic, adoption program, and cat-centric sheltering. Comparable as a Midwest cat-focused nonprofit with TNR, adoption, and Trap-Neuter-Return services, though larger and clinic-based.

Others

• PetSmart Charities: Major animal welfare grantmaker funding TNR and adoption programs nationwide. Not a peer operator but a critical funding partner and ecosystem counterpart to grassroots TNR organizations like Spay & Stay.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SpayandStay
• Facebookfacebook.com/Spay.and.Stay
• Instagraminstagram.com/spayandstay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spay-&-stay

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Spay & Stay