WHY SHOULD YOU SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS?
Driving down a local road recently I happened upon a mother cat and three kittens. I was able to get two kittens rather easily, the third wanted nothing to do with this human. It was dark so after more than an hour I decided to leave mom (who I could have picked up) and her youngster for the night with some food. Going back in the morning, mother was there but no sign of the kid. After about thirty minutes, mom was loaded in the car and brought home to her other two kids. I tried for a total of four days, using a live trap, searching and calling but no sign of the third kitten. One can only hope he wandered to a nearby home.
Normally I do not foster animals. Bringing them home caused chaos in my house and we are working through it. They have been to the vet, gotten medications for minor issues and being eight weeks old the kittens are adoptable. Baby girl has gone to a wonderful home. Mom is very friendly and clearly was somebody’s pet. She and baby boy are currently looking for forever homes as I cannot keep them.
If the mom had been spayed would she still have her loving home? Most likely yes. Which brings me to why you should spay and neuter your pets. Many people have reasons why they don’t “think” they need to or want to. Consider the following from the ASPCA:
Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life.
Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.
Neutering provides major health benefits for your male.
Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age.
Your spayed female won't go into heat.
While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they'll yowl and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house!
Your male dog won't want to roam away from home.
An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under the fence and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.
Your neutered male will be much better behaved.
Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.
Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat.
Don’t use that old excuse! Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake.
It is highly cost-effective.
The cost of your pet's spay/neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment when your unneutered tom escapes and gets into fights with the neighborhood stray!
Spaying and neutering your pet is good for the community.
Stray animals pose a real problem in many parts of the country. They can prey on wildlife, cause car accidents, damage the local fauna and frighten children. Spaying and neutering packs a powerful punch in reducing the number of animals on the streets.
Your pet doesn't need to have a litter for your children to learn about the miracle of birth.
Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping is not a good lesson for your children—especially when so many unwanted animals end up in shelters. There are tons of books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a more responsible way.
Spaying and neutering helps fight pet overpopulation.
Every year, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.
I couldn’t have explained this any better myself, here is a link to the site https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/top-10-reasons-spay-or-neuter-your-pet and depending on where you are there are many resources. Locally we have Operation Pets www.operationpets.org as well as numerous rescues.
If you already spay and neuter, well done and thank you!
Thank you for reading!
Amy Lynn Alexander
Amy Lynn’s Animal Care, LLC