Spay or Neuter: It's the Responsible Thing to Do

If there were a Top Ten list of things a person could do to be a responsible pet owner, spaying or neutering your pet would be at the top of the list. Why is spaying (surgery for female animals) or neutering (surgery for male animals) the responsible thing to do? Here are several reasons:

1. It helps reduce companion animal over population. Did you know an unspayed female cat, her mate, and all of their offspring, producing two litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter, can add up to 370,092 animals over seven years? This is a conservative estimate, since cats can have more than two litters per year. Most of these animals will not find homes. Many will die as they struggle to survive on their own, or may be euthanized when shelters become overcrowded.

2. Spaying or neutering your pet will help them have a longer, healthier life. A dog's life can be extended by 1-3 years, a cats by 3-5 years. Altered animals have a very low or no risk of mammary gland tumors/cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian and testicular cancer, and uterine cancer.

3. Altering your cat or dog makes them a better pet by reducing their urge to roam and decreasing the risk of contracting diseases or getting hurt when they roam.

For more information on local resources to assist with getting your cat or dog spayed or neutered, go to: http://hatsweb.org/spay.html.