Support Program for Rescued Kittens and Cats

With over 14,000 cats and kittens on the streets of Playa del Carmen alone Coco’s is overwhelmed with kittens most of the time. Coco’s is not a shelter. We do however, maintain a kitten rescue program with space for 15 kittens at any one time. Our protocols are strict to keep each rescued kitten in our care, healthy. The truth is, we are almost always full as we constantly rotate a new rescue in as another one finds it’s forever home.

Why Coco’s Animal Welfare is full at times:

Coco’s has very strict quarantine rules. When a new kitten arrives at Coco’s it must be monitored and kept separate from other kittens for at least 15 days. During this time, the kitten undergoes treatment for parasites and will receive its first vaccine. There are many other viruses and skin conditions (like ring worm or mange) that require a longer quarantine time. Our facility provides us with 2 kitten play rooms for healthy kittens and 1 smaller room for quarantine.

We cannot put new arrival kittens with healthy ones that have already been through quarantine. We would end up with many sick, parasite infested kittens. Some common illnesses can be life threatening to young kittens and Coco’s will not risk 15 healthy kittens by adding a potentially sick kitten to the group. Instead, we treat all incoming arrivals with every precaution and treatment to help them obtain full health before exposure to others.

We prefer to have 15 healthy kittens rather than 50 sick ones. Even if this means we have to say ‘no’ to individuals when they ask us to take in more rescued kittens than we can healthily handle.

When one kitten gets re-homed we are able to rescue another. We do our best to help as many kittens as possible but we are with limited space. Don’t give up, we want to help you with your rescued kitten! When we are unable to accept a new rescue, we have started this support program in hopes to assist more than we would be able to in our facility. With this support program we assist caretakers/foster parents with some of the expense of rescuing an animal, while caring for their rescue in their own home and following through in finding homes for them. We are here to support you in this process.

IF COCO’S IS UNABLE TO ACCEPT A KITTEN AT ANY GIVEN TIME DUE TO BEING AT FULL QUARANTINE CAPACITY, COCO’S IS STILL HERE TO SUPPORT YOU!

How Coco’s Can Help You:

• These services are given with appointment and the spay/neuter surgery is mandatory. General Exam for rescued cats by Coco’s veterinarians at low cost (minimum suggested donation $150).
• Sterilization surgery by voluntary donation. (Donations are deeply appreciated as we normally need $400 MXN to cover the surgery expense of a cat) We have a limited number of surgeries available under voluntary donations, so we ask people not to take advantage of this option as this option is only available for those who really cannot afford to make the minimum donation. The minimum donation previously mentioned only covers the cost of medication and materials used for spay & neuter surgeries. If you are able to donate more it is always helpful!
• 1st Rabies vaccine (low cost)
• Triple Feline Vaccine (low cost)
• Deworming (low cost)
• If the cat is hurt we can give medications and general help (low cost)
• FIV/LEUK Test (low cost)
• If there is availability and it’s needed: Special Kitten Milk formula, kitten bottle and we’ll teach you to feed the new born kitten when they are too small to eat on their own.

We can always help rescued kittens with the above program. With our help you can adopt out healthy kitties that are spayed/neutered and vaccinated. Having these things handled make it much easier to find loving homes.

Coco’s is also able to help people who need low cost vet care for their pets.

Why Coco’s is Not a Shelter

Coco’s mission is not to be a shelter. We do wish to help as many kittens as space allows but *our main focus is on spaying and neutering*. Spay and Neuter addresses the bigger/ongoing problem of over-population and prevents unnecessary animal suffering and abuse. There will never be a shelter big enough for all the cats and kittens on the streets in need. When you look at the statistics of how there are over 14,000 cats on the streets in Playa alone it is crucial that we do as much as we can to counter the over-population problem.

We get phone calls daily asking us to take in more kittens and we are heartbroken a lot of the times when we have to say no due to our limitation on space. We are always happy to give advice on what to do and how to do it. We are often amazed how willing people are to take responsibility for their rescue when they know what to do and where to go for help It really is simple once you know what to do. We also know if a person calls with a homeless kitten or cat that they too have a heart to try to help. We need their help too. The numbers needing help are impossible for Coco’s to handle all of them. We are grateful for all the other locals and tourists looking out for Playa’s animals in need!!!!

Please help us spread the word about our support program so more animals can be helped in our community.

Spay and neuter is a very important part in the solution of animal overpopulation!