Spay & Neuter Awareness Month

Pet Overpopulation is a Human Problem

In our greater Cincinnati area, all animal shelters are overpopulated with cats and dogs seeking forever homes. Last summer, shelters reported reaching record numbers of pets:

“Workers at Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society said they have more dogs and cats at their facilities since opening four years ago. Across its two locations at Colerain and Dane Avenue, along with its foster homes, the shelter has more than 800 animals up for adoption. 200 dogs are at the Colerain facility alone.“

With more cats and dogs available for adoption than can be reasonably expected to find homes, many of these animals will either spend their lives in a shelter or be euthanized. Because our pets are domesticated animals, their overpopulation problem is humans’ responsibility to help solve. That’s why we’re highlighting Spay & Neuter Awareness Month.

The vast majority of pet owners should spay and neuter their cats and dogs. Depending on the species and breed, if your female pet has an accidental pregnancy, you’ll have one to 15 kittens or puppies to raise and find loving homes for. If your male pet roams free for a few hours, he could be responsible for several litters in the neighborhood.

At Grady Vet, we love puppies and kittens as much as anyone. We especially love to provide them the best veterinary care for a lifetime of health and happiness. And we understand that responsible breeding preserves breed standards– and these breeders dedicate their lives to caring for all the animals they raise (including taking back pets that new owners find themselves unable to care for). But responsible breeders agree with us: Family pets should be spayed and neutered for the health of the animal and for the betterment of all pets.

If you’ve previously been unsure about or against spaying and neutering, please consider the other side of the issue. Over time, together, we can solve the overpopulation problem in shelters.

Spay & Neuter for Feral Cats: You Can Help!

Sometimes, pet overpopulation seems like an insurmountable problem. But here’s one way you can help! Donate to Save the Animal Foundation’s spay/neuter program for feral cats. STAF and their network trap feral cats, spay or neuter the cats, and return them to where they live. Feral cats aren’t socialized to live with humans, so this approach is the most humane for feral cat populations.

STAF offers these alarming statistics:

One breeding pair and offspring can produce:

In 1 year 12 kittens
In 2 years 144 cats and kittens
In 3 years 1,728 cats and kittens
In 4 years 20,736 cats and kittens

To help a feral cat population stay warm, you may also want to view our video for How to Build an Outdoor Cat House.

Help spread the word about responsible pet ownership! Over the long run, spaying and neutering our pets is the most loving way to share our lives with animals and to prevent the suffering that happens with pet overpopulation.