Top Ten Reasons to Spay/Neuter Your Pet

  1. Spaying your female dog or cat will help her live a longer, healthier life. Spaying eliminates the risk for uterine infections and helps prevent breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.A cat’s first heat usually occurs by age 6-12 months — for some cats, as early as four months of age. A dog’s first heat varies from dog to dog but, on average, occurs when she is six months old.
  2. There are also dramatic health benefits from neutering your male dog or cat. Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male companion helps prevent testicular cancer, if the pet is neutered before six months of age.
  3. Spayed females do not go into heat.  While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat for four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they will yowl and urinate more frequently — sometimes all over the house.
  4. Neutered males feel less of an urge to roam. An unneutered male in search of a mate will do almost anything to get one, including making Houdini-like escapes from the house and digging his way under the fence. Once he’s free to roam, he risks being hit by a car or injured from fights with other males.
  5. Spaying and neutering will NOT make your pet fat. Weight gain is caused by lack of exercise and overfeeding. Your dog and cat will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake.
  6. Spayed and neutered cats and dogs usually behave much better than unneutered pets.They tend to focus their attention on their human families. They are less likely to mark their territory and will protect their home and family just as well as intact dogs and cats. Many male aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering.
  7. Spaying or neutering is cost effective. The cost of surgery is a lot less than the cost of having or caring for a litter. It saves on the cost of treatment when your unneutered pet escapes and gets into fights with other animals.And let’s not forget the cost of furniture and carpet cleaning bills required from spraying.
  8. Spaying or neutering is good for the community.Stray animals pose real problems in many parts of the country. They can prey on wildlife and pets, cause car accidents,interrupt people’s sleep with their fights, spray urine on plants or buildings,live under buildings, overturn trash cans, and frighten people. Spaying and neutering packs a powerful punch in reducing the number of animals on the streets.
  9. Spaying or neutering teaches your children responsibility.Your pet doesn’t need to have a litter for your children to learn about the miracle of birth. Letting your pet produce offspring that you have no intention of keeping is not a good lesson for your children, especially when so many unwanted animals end up in shelters. There are hundreds of books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a more responsible way.
  10. Spaying or neutering your dog and cat is the right thing to do!Millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds suffer as strays or are euthanized every year. These high numbers are the result of unwanted, unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.