| | Why Spay-Neuter?There are a lot of myths out there about spay-neuter: “They should have one litter first,” “It’ll make my pet fat and lazy,” and even, “It’s not a big deal if people don’t spay or neuter their pet.”
Here’s a fact: spay-neuter is a matter of life and death. It saves countless animals lives; without it, pet overpopulation forces shelters across the nation to euthanize loving companion animals simply because there aren’t enough homes. Not only does spay-neuter help fight the pet overpopulation crisis, it also offers many benefits to both pet and owner.
Fact: one cat with one litter of kittens can lead to the birth of 420,000 more cats within seven years. Fact: one dog with one litter of puppies can lead to the birth of 67,000 more dogs in a mere six years. Now consider how many available homes there will be for these pets; the situation is truly urgent.
A spayed or neutered pet will live an average of three to five years longer than an unaltered pet. Studies show that spaying a female before she has any litters greatly increases the health benefits she’ll derive from being spayed. Even for older pets, spay-neuter brings health-boosting benefits – an altered pet has far less chance of suffering from terminal illnesses like breast cancer or prostate cancer. The surgery completely removes the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer in females and for males, eliminates the risk of testicular cancer.
Not only are there health benefits to spay-neutering, there are also behavioral benefits. A spayed or neutered animal will typically be calmer, less aggressive, and less likely to run away from home to roam the neighborhood. It’ll be less likely to bite; instead, the pet will be more affectionate towards people. Most neutered males won’t mark their territory, either.
The Humane Society is dedicated to spay-neuter for its many benefits as well as its direct effect on improving quality of life for all residents of the Pikes Peak Region, whether they are people or pets. The more local pets are spayed and neutered, the less residents have to worry about animals roaming the neighborhood and the extreme difficulty of finding good homes for homeless animals. Each year in February we sell a limited number of low-cost spay-neuter certificates. These certificates are sold only in person, on a first-come, first-served basis. We hope to soon offer a special spay-neuter program that helps low-income cat owners, as the cats of our community are where the majority of the pet overpopulation crisis lies.  Printer-Friendly Version
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