Homeless Cats and Dogs What You Can Do to Help
Every year, millions
of cats and dogs become homeless in the United States.
Many are adult animals whose human families no longer
want them or can't care for them. Many get lost and
never make it home. Even more are kittens and puppies
born because owners did not have their pets spayed or
neutered in time.
Copyright
© and reproduced courtesy of the Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and
the American Humane Education Society. For more information,
contact Beth Shapiro, MSPCA/AHES Publications Department,
350 South Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02130; (617) 541-5107
Cats
and Dogs Are Prolific Breeders
Kittens
can become pregnant as early as four months of age,
and puppies can begin breeding as early as six months.
Left unsterilized, both can produce hundreds of offspring
in their short lifetimes. For every human baby born
in the United States today, thirteen puppies and kittens
make their way into the world.
The simple truth
is that there just aren't enough homes for them at all.
The lucky ones get a chance at a permanent home. The
rest become part of a tragic surplus of pets.
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The
Fate of Surplus Pets
What
happens to this "surplus"? Most of them die. They get
sick. They starve or freeze to death. They are hit by
cars, become wounded in fights with other animals, and
suffer abuse by uncaring people. Some kittens survive
to breed and start colonies of free-roaming cats.
Some of the fortunate
animals end up in shelters, where trained caregivers
make every effort to find them new homes. But the numbers
tell a tragic story. There are many more pets in shelters
than there are people able to provide permanent, responsible,
loving homes. Millions of pets are euthanized every
year for one painfully simple, tragic, and preventable
reason: no one wants them. This is a heartbreaking waste
of life.
Death - by disease,
injury, abuse, starvation or euthanasia - is an unacceptable
solution to the problem of homeless pets. The real solution
prevents the surplus from occurring.
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Be
a Responsible Pet Owner
By keeping
your pets safe at home, getting them vaccinated, putting
collars and ID tags on them, training them to be good
companions and having them spayed or neutered you can
protect the animals you love from harm. And you will
prevent the births of more unwanted kittens and puppies.
Spaying or neutering,
performed painlessly under general anesthesia, is the
best and safest way to stop adding to the pet population.
Spaying or neutering benefits you, your pet, and millions
of homeless cats and dogs everywhere. Each of us must
take action before even one more unwanted litter is
born.
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Should
I Let My Female Have a Heat Cycle or Litter Before She
Is Spayed?
Contrary
to popular myth, there are absolutely NO benefits, medical
or otherwise, in letting your female cat or dog have
even one heat cycle or litter before she is spayed.
Even indoor pets can get pregnant on a brief trip outside.
By spaying your
female pet at an early age, you will eliminate furniture
and carpet stains resulting from her heat cycle, and
males will no longer hang around your house or serenade
you at night.
Your spayed female
will be healthier too. She will avoid the risks of pregnancy
and uterine infections, and she will be far less likely
to develop mammary cancer later in life.
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Why
Should I Neuter My Male Pet?
To reduce
the number of unwanted pets, males must be kept from
breeding too. Neutered males also make much better pets
than unneutered ones. This simple procedure stops most
male cats from spraying your furniture, walls, and plants
to stake out their territories inside and outside your
home. Neutering also discourages male cats and dogs
from roaming, decreasing the likelihood of fights, car
accidents, and disease. Instead, your pet will spend
time with you.
Sterilization
also reduces the tendency to be aggressive toward humans
and other animals. And it lowers your pet's risk of
developing prostate cancer and other diseases.
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Will
My Pet Get Fat and Lazy?
The answer
is a resounding NO. Like humans, cats and dogs get fat
when they eat too much, eat the wrong foods, or don't
get enough exercise. If you watch your pet's diet and
provide regularly exercise, your pet will stay fit and
trim.
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What
Is the Best Age to Spay and Neuter?
Research
has shown that it is safe to spay and neuter kittens
and puppies at a much younger age than veterinarians
once thought. At some veterinary hospitals, kittens
and puppies are now safely and routinely sterilized
as young as six to eight weeks of age. Their low body
fat makes surgery easier. They tolerate the procedure
well and recover more quickly than do older animals.
The MSPCA recommends
that both male and female pets be sterilized soon after
they have received all their kitten or puppy shots at
about 4 months of age. Having this surgery performed
early will prevent your pet from surprising you with
even one unwanted litter. It is never too late to have
the surgery done, though. You and your older pet will
benefit too.
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Please
Help Your Pet and Your Community
By spaying
or neutering your pet, you will have a healthier animal
and a happier home. It may also cost less to renew your
pet's license. Most of all, you will have the satisfaction
of knowing you have done the right thing as a responsible
pet owner. That is a very important lesson to teach
your children.
Almost as important
as sterilizing your own animal is urging other pet owners
to do the same. Only by working together can we stop
the suffering of homeless pets.
Preventing the
birth of even one litter benefits you, your pet, and
your community and it increases the chances that other
already homeless pets will find new homes.
Please note:
The information provided here is meant to supplement
that provided by your veterinarian. Nothing can replace
a complete history and physical examination performed
by your veterinarian. - Dr. Jeff
I greatly value your feedback. Please let me know what
you think of this site and what you would like to see
on it. drjeff@homevet.com
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Last modified
at 10:17 PM on 1/5/98.
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