Spay and Neuter. Just the Facts.
- Each day in the United States, 10,000 humans are born and 70,000 puppies and kittens are born! As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals.
- An unspayed female cat, her mate and all of their offspring, producing 2 litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter can total:
1 year: 12
2 years: 67
3 years: 376
4 years: 2,107
5 years: 11,801
6 years: 66,088
7 years: 370,092
8 years: 2,072,514
9 years: 11,606,077 (http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/cat_overpopulation.pdf)
- Most people don't know that a cat can have her first litter at the age of five months, and just one litter means that more good homes must be found! That is why there are so many strays and why our shelters are full of cats. Be ever so kind to your cat.
- SPAY/NEUTER BY THE AGE OF FIVE MONTHS
You can help! Sponsor a spay or neuter for a rescued cat at CATS Cradle Shelter by donating now!
Why Spay or Neuter
Prevent pet overpopulation:
The PETCO Foundation reports that only 1 out of 12 cats born ever find a permanent home.
Over 7 million healthy pets are euthanized every year in the U.S. because there aren't
enough homes for them. For every kitten your pet produces, that's a cat or kitten somewhere else that will die in a shelter. Unwanted cats cannot just be set to free to fend for themselves. The feral cats you see down at the beach or around warehouses have to be cared for by someone to survive. If you think you just want an outdoor cat, he won't be around long if he's not altered. They will roam for miles looking for females. An outdoor cat's lifespan is only about three years.
Less behavior problems:
Neutered males are less likely to mark their territory. Spraying is smelly, messy, and offensive to everyone except the cat. It is easier to prevent spraying by early neutering than to cure your cat of this behavior when he is older and the habit is formed. Females in heat are equally offensive. They will try to scratch through window screens and howl endlessly.
Altered cats are less aggressive.
Better health:
Females are at risk for mammary or uterine cancer. A nursing mother can get mastitis. Males can get testicular or prostate cancer.
