The Pet Overpopulation Crisis
For many of us, our lives and our homes would not be complete without the presence and companionship of our dogs and cats.  With pet ownership comes responsibility – providing them with shelter, food and water, training them, and taking them to the vet when medical attention is needed.  Pet ownership is a life-long commitment, for dogs and cats can live until they’re 13-20 years old.  Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world where EVERY single dog and cat is lucky enough to have a home or a family to call its own.
Did you know that one unspayed female cat, her mate, and all of their offspring, producing 2 litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter can total over 370,000 cats in 7 years?? (Source = SpayUSA.org)  While not quite as prolific as cats, an unspayed female dog, her mate, and all of their offspring can produce up to 67,000 puppies in 6 years.  For comparison, each day 10,000 humans are born in the U.S. – and each day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born.
Do the math.  As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals. The unfortunate result is that all over the country, every year, 4 to 6 million healthy, loving cats, dogs, kittens, and puppies are needlessly euthanized.

The overpopulation crisis affects ALL of US.  The only way to stop overpopulation is to SPAY and NEUTER your pets.
Accidental births (“I meant to get Muffin spayed/neutered, but I didn’t have the time”) are the MAIN CONTRIBUTORS to the overpopulation problem.  Allowing  your dog or cat to have a litter just because you want your children to experience the miracle of life is not a good excuse unless you will also explain to your children why those cute puppies and kittens will most likely end up dead because of overpopulation?

Allowing your pet to have one litter because it will “make her a better pet” is simply NOT true.  Spayed, the female dog or cat will be calmer and less prone to medical problems such as mammary gland tumors, ovarian and/or uterine cancers.  Neutered males are less aggressive, less likely to roam, and neutered male cats are less likely to spray or mark their territory.
Anonymously dumping or abandoning unwanted animals on the side of the highway,  inside or near a dumpster, in somebody’s yard or in the woods to fend for themselves is not only INHUMANE, but also ILLEGAL.  If these free roaming animals are not eventually caught, they will BREED and further add to the animal overpopulation.