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Spring is in the air and a young critter's fancy turns to thoughts of love. Sounds romantic doesn't it? The reality isn't quite so lovely. At shelters everywhere, they are bracing for the annual onslaught of unwanted puppies and kittens. They've heard just about every excuse in the book for people dropping off their "accidental" litters at the back door. The reason this continues is obvious: unlike people cats and dogs don't have just one offspring at a time. One cat or dog who has babies and whose babies have babies can be responsible for the birth of 50 to 200 kittens or puppies in just one year. The reproductive rate of dogs is 15 times that of humans and the reproductive rate of cats is 30 times that of humans.
Spaying or neutering is the solution to this pet overpopulation problem. It's better for you, better for the community, and (contrary to the endless old wives tales) much better for the animal as well. It's simple: spayed or neutered animals are better behaved and healthier. Females spayed before their first heat cycle are healthier than those that aren't (ask your vet, it's true!). Neutered male animals are better behaved and have fewer problems with aggression. Neutering reduces roaming and fighting and most animals lose the desire to constantly mark their territory. Animals that have been spayed or neutered also tend to live an average of two to three years longer than unsterilized pets.
In many areas veterinarians have made it easier than ever for people to get their pets fixed by offering reduced prices on spay/neuter surgery for those in need."
If you have even ONE unaltered animal in your house, the pet overpopulation nightmare will continue and animals will die. So, beat the heat! Neuter your pet.
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