About this guide

This directory is maintained as a Hugo site. Each clinic, voucher, or assistance program has its own Markdown file in content/resources/. Structured front matter makes each record searchable and keeps the cards, detail pages, and source links consistent. You can suggest updates by opening an issue or pull request in the public GitHub repository.

The interface is available in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese. UI translations live in assets/js/i18n.js; add a message key there for each language when introducing new interface text, and add data-i18n="keyName" to static template text. Provider names, costs, eligibility, and booking information stay in the verified source language unless a reviewed translation is added, so the directory clearly notes that some provider details remain in English.

Add a clinic or program

Copy a similar file from content/resources/, use a short unique filename such as city-clinic-tnr.md, and fill in the YAML fields at the top:

• title: public name shown on the listing.
• county: primary county, for display and fallback.
• counties: every county where cats can qualify. These values automatically populate the county selector.
• cities: cities or named areas served. Exact city searches match these names.
• countywide: set to true only when the program serves all cities in one of its listed counties. This lets nearby-city searches include it even when that city is not named in cities.
• type: TNR, Voucher, or Owned-cat clinic. This controls the service filter; TNR and voucher records appear under “Community cats”.
• cost, booking, eligibility, details: concise, verified visitor-facing facts. Use “Contact to confirm” when the provider does not publish a fee or current availability.
• booking_url, website, source_url: direct links to booking instructions, the provider, and the page that supports the listing. These can point to the same page when appropriate.
• verified: date checked, for example Sep 26, 2026.
• featured: optional true to raise a listing when nearby options have equal match strength.
• status: optional paused when the provider explicitly reports that a service is temporarily unavailable.
• related: optional list of resource filenames (without .md) for associated vouchers, partner clinics, or alternate programs. This adds links on the detail page.

For example, a voucher that can be used at a clinic should have its own resource record. Add the clinic record’s filename under related on the voucher record, and add the voucher filename under related on the clinic record. Their counties and cities still determine which searches show each listing; related links give people a direct path between the assistance and the place where they book.

Add a city, area, or county

For an existing region, add the city to cities on each resource that serves it. Search ignores capitalization and accents, so San José and San Jose are equivalent. Include common short forms or alternate names if people may type them differently.

For a new county, add a resource record with the county name in both county and counties; the county selector will include it automatically. Add its major cities to cities on the relevant records. Then add the new county key and city-name aliases to the aliases object near the top of assets/js/site.js. This helps searches for cities that are not yet named by a provider match the countywide programs without showing city-restricted clinics in the wrong place. Leave out countywide: true for clinics that only accept cats from certain cities.

ZIP-code search uses the generated data/zip-counties.json lookup. To include another county in ZIP searches, add its five-digit Census county FIPS code and display name to COUNTIES in scripts/build_zip_counties.py, then run python3 scripts/build_zip_counties.py. The lookup is based on Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs), which approximate USPS ZIP-code geography and can overlap or differ from ZIP delivery areas; providers’ stated service boundaries always take precedence.

Connect the record to the directory

No registration step is needed: Hugo includes every Markdown file under content/resources/ in the home page data. The directory filters use counties, cities, countywide, and type; the booking and source links are rendered from their URL fields. If two services should point to each other, use matching related slug values. Rebuild with hugo and preview with hugo server.

This is a referral guide, not a booking service. The clinic or government program remains the authority for current eligibility, prices, and appointment availability. The research source ledger is maintained in RESEARCH.md in the project repository.