LEWISTON — The Greater Androscoggin Humane Society announces that it has received a $17,750 grant from the Belvedere Animal Welfare Fund of the Maine Community Foundation to spay/neuter 550 privately owned and free foaming cats in one year.

The program specifically targets Androscoggin County’s low-income pet owners whose cats are in need of spaying or neutering. Beginning Sept. 1, eligible cat owners can visit the shelter for a voucher to have their cat spayed or neutered for a $10 co-pay. The cat will also receive a rabies vaccination. Pet owners must show proof of state assistance when they sign up for the program.

Thanks to the generosity of foundations such as the Maine Community Foundation and the Belvedere Animal Welfare Fund, the GAHS has sterilized more than 5,800 cats in Androscoggin County since 2010 — an investment of more than $200,000 in the community. Those efforts have resulted in 49 percent less cats entering the shelter than in 2005.

The Humane Society is located at 55 Strawberry Ave., Lewiston. For more information on the Targeted and Free Roaming Cat Spay/Neuter Program and other spay/neuter programs offered through the Humane Society, call the shelter at 207-783-2311 or go to: www.SavingPetsInMaine.org. Join them at: www.facebook/GAHumane.