Saturday, July 18, 2009

Please Spay & Neuter Your Pets

According to the ASPCA, between three and four million pets have to be euthanized yearly due to over population. These are just the ones who are killed in shelters. How many more die in the streets? Hungry, sick, hurt, and lonely. These dogs and cats are left to fend for themselves, scavenging through garbage, defecating and urinating in places where children play, attacking people who pose a threat, and possibly spreading disease to the pets in our homes.We can not blame this on the animals. They are fighting to stay alive. The blame falls on humans. Humans who do not spay and/or neuter their pets. Humans who think it will be cute to have a litter of puppies or kittens, humans who think it is too expensive to spay or neuter, and humans who think it is cruel to have the surgery done.

Take a look at these statistics:
Average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year:
3
Average number of kittens in a feline litter:
4–6
In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats.
Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year:
2
Average number of puppies in a canine litter:
6–10
In six years, one female dog and her offspring can theoretically produce
67,000 dogs.

Above stats borrowed from

I'm sure you will agree that the above numbers are staggering. They are just an estimate from 2006. With the economy being what it is right now people are even more strapped for money and many are abandoning their pets. These once loved animals are now being forced outof their homes and must fend for themselves. Many are reproducing, causing the pet population problemto explode in the midst of a struggling economy. Simply put there are not enough resources to care for all these animals being born. Shelters must turn them away, rescue groups can not find homes, and most will pay the ultimate price.

So for the sake of all the animals please spay or neuter your dog and cat. If finances are keeping you from doing the procedure, contact Spay/USA at 1-800-248-SPAY (1-800-248-7729). They may be able to find a low cost program in your area. Burying your head in the sand is not going to make this problem go away. You have to take a proactive approach and HAVE YOUR PET SPAYED OR NEUTERED. DO IT NOW!!!