That stray cat in your backyard could help save an endangered species -- but only if she's spayed by the Neuter Scooter, which recently visited Crown Point and Valparaiso.

Veterinarian Tess Peavy, co-owner of the Neuter Scooter, a low-cost mobile spay and neuter clinic based in Indiana, donates spayed cat ovaries to the Cincinnati Zoo for its study of reproduction in small wildcats.

"The ovaries from Dr. Peavy, and several other trap, neuter, and release programs, are a huge help to our work here," said Jason Herrick, gamete biologist at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Herrick said that construction, forest destruction, overfishing, pollution and agricultural development that go with an increasing human population are pushing certain small cat species to the point of extinction in their native lands.

Herrick and his colleagues use the ovaries to improve reproduction in five small-sized wildcat species: Brazil's ocelot, Mongolia's Pallas cat, Thailand's fishing cat, and Africa's sand cats and black-footed cats. The ocelot, known for its beautiful spotted coat, also can be found as far north as Texas.

The Cincinnati Zoo is home to all five species, which are managed under the American Zoo Association's Species Survival Plan.

The zoo uses domestic cat ovaries to perfect the techniques of assisted reproductive technology, such as artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, embryo transfer and embryo and semen cryopreservation, before the techniques are tried in the field.

Herrick said domestic cat eggs are used because the housecat is reproductively similar to all five species.

"We can refine our techniques on these eggs," Herrick said. "Once we've figured it out there, we can transfer our knowledge to wild populations."

Herrick said research is not performed on the cats themselves. He said without the donated ovaries, the research would require surgery on domestic cats. The spay clinic eggs save time, money and unnecessary surgery, he said.

"In one day, we can get 200 eggs from a spay clinic. On a busy week, we go through 300 to 400 eggs (for research) pretty easily," Herrick said.

Peavy said the Neuter Scooter has been donating ovaries to the zoo for about a year.

"Any time we can reuse something, I am all for it," Peavy said. "It cuts down on the need for research animals. Species conservation is a very important matter, and I think our clients also like knowing that their little stray has done its part in helping endangered cats."

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the Cincinnati Zoo's small cat research, see www.cincinnatizoo.org.

To sign up for the Neuter Scooter, see the clinic Web site at www.neuterscooter.org.