It's Hip to Snip!

Today's post is over an incredibly important topic, but also probably the simplest concept there is. Spay and Neuter your pets! It's so easy (and can be done at low cost) and it makes a huge difference. 

Why spay and neuter?
Pet overpopulation is a huge problem. It seems like shelters are always crowded and yet there are still lines at the door of people surrendering pets. A lot of these are kittens and puppies. You may assume all kittens and puppies get adopted quickly but that's but the case. Some end up growing up in the shelter. While there are some pretty awesome shelters out there, it's not a place for an animal to spend a large part of their life. Not to mention many shelters are still required to put down animals due to overcrowding. When you spay/neuter one animal you prevent 1,000s of unwanted animals from being born and facing a life like that. Spaying and Neutering Saves Lives.

So if that's not enough to convince you, or you say well my pet isn't around other animals anyway so they won't reproduce, there are even more reasons to spay and neuter. 
Health Benefits- spaying and neutering reduces risks for various infections and cancers. If you can prevent it, why not! 
Behavior Benefits- There's nothing more annoying than a cat/dog in heat or a horny cat/dog. Intact males are more likely to be aggressive (all that testosterone), sneak out (lookin' for ladies), and mark territory (gross)! 

Another huge area where spaying/neutering is key in in community cats. If you are feeding a stray cat that is intact please do your research and find a local low-cost spay/neuter clinic. May of them have special community cat/TNR (Trap Neuter Release) programs. Sterilizing these cats is a huge component to controlling pet over population.
 Check out this chart to see how much of an impact it has 


That's a ton of kittens. And if you think about it, if these kittens grow up feral like their parents that means more cats on the streets to feed and potential for them to also have babies. That's not a good situation. 

So if you have a pet or are caring for ferals that are not yet spayed/neutered go do it! There are so many awesome low-cost clinics out there to help you. Shelters and rescues can only do so much to prevent over-population, this is a chance for you to help out. There are so many resources out there to help you out and make it as easy as possible. So do your research and schedule an appointment!