Spaying and neutering is a critical way to help manage local animal populations and prevent shelters from being overburdened—but the process is pricey, generally ranging from $175 to more than $500 depending on the size and species of the pet.

Long Beach Animal Care Services, the city’s shelter and animal-intake agency, is now better equipped to help alleviate those costs, as the City Council voted Tuesday night to accept a $25,000 grant offered through a California for All Animals that will pay for 250 vouchers, each with a $100 value, to go toward the procedure. The vouchers are linked to 19 veterinary clinics that will apply the money to the bill.

The grants are part of the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program and are intended to increase capacity and availability for spay and neuter services in California.

With some exceptions, owning an unaltered pet is illegal in Long Beach, and vouchers can help ease the financial burden of complying with the law. Residents and authorized rescues can apply for vouchers on the shelter’s website or by emailing [email protected]. When the voucher is received, the applicant makes an appointment at one of the participating clinics. After the procedure, the applicant pays the difference, which will be $100 less than the listed fee.

Staycee Dains, manager of Long Beach Animal Care Services, is grateful for the grant and stated that it not only relieves a financial burden on pet owners but also saves the city $25,000. With the costs of procedures going up and the shelter filling up, she advises people in need to apply for the procedure as soon as the pet is old enough to get fixed.

“Spay/neuter won’t get cheaper the longer people wait, so getting it done when pets are young and healthy is more economical,” Dains said.