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February is Spay/Neuter Month
Just wanted to remind everyone that February is national Spay/Neuter
month. If you have any fur kids who need to get "broken" ask your vet if they offer discounts in February (many of them do!) or if they don't call your
local humane society & see if they have $$ off coupons.
For several years, the last Tuesday in February has been designated by the Doris Day Animal League as 1 "Spay Day U.S.A," and February has been chosen as Spay and Neuter Month by countless humane societies and animal advocacy groups. There are many ways you can contribute to this effort, starting with spaying and neutering your own cats (and dogs).
It is hard to believe that in this enlightened age, many people still are ignorant about the value of spaying and neutering their pets. Misconceptions still abound:
She needs to have one litter before spaying
There is no medical research to support this supposition. In fact, spaying your female cat will not only save her the misery of frequent heat cycles throughout her life, but also will reduce her risk of mammary cancer, and eliminate the risk of uterine and ovary cancer, as well as pyometra. If none of these arguments are convincing enough, consider the possible complications of birth, which may result in the death of mother and/or babies, not to mention the potential threat of eclampsia.
I'd like for my kids to witness the Miracle of Birth
Jeri Dopp, of Safe Haven for Cats 2 , has a perfect answer to that: "Do that and then please rush them to the shelter so they can watch the agony of death as all these unwanted kittens are killed. Just one unaltered cat can produce 420,000 cats in seven years - 10 million in ten years. Do the math. It's not a pretty picture, considering most of these cats live a very hard life and usually meet with an untimely and unnatural death." Spaying or neutering will make my cat fat and lazy.
All cats have the potential of getting fat and lazy. Feeding your cat an appropriate premium food and engaging with her in interactive exercise will keep her in prime physical condition.
Reasons to Spay & Neuter
Promote Good Health
We've discussed female cats above. Neutering male cats will prevent testicular cancer. It will also vastly reduce the urge to fight other males, which inevitably leads to abscesses, torn ears, and sometimes death.
Reduce Potential Behavior Problems
Unaltered male cats spray indiscrimately, and their urine has a pungent, musky odor that is extremely difficult to remove from walls, furniture, and drapes. Unspayed female cats also spray - it is a natural instinct designed to attract a mate. In addition, unaltered cats of both sexes will stop at nothing to escape the house for mating purposes.
Help Prevent Overpopulation
The first two reasons are personal; this one is universal. You may think that because you can find good homes for your cat's babies, that you're not contributing to the problem. Think again. There are simply not enough "good homes" to go around. For every kitten you place in a good home, another cat loses its life in a shelter or pound.
If you want kittens, consider fostering a litter from a shelter. You will have the joy of seeing them in their "cute" period (which lasts only a few months), and you will have the satisfaction of helping, rather than contributing to the problem.
Hopefully, if you've read this far, you're convinced of the value of spaying and neutering your own cats. Wait! There's lots more that you can do to help the hundreds of thousands of cats in need of S/N. And this month is a good time to start.
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