How does my pet benefit from being altered?

Your pet will be healthier, happier and easier to live with after it has been spayed or neutered. Altered pets are less likely to mark their territory and have fewer tendencies to roam and are therefore less likely to annoy your neighbors, get hit by cars or fall prey to wild animals. Spayed females have a lower risk of breast cancer (90% fatal in cats. 50% fatal in dogs) and life-threatening uterine infections. Neutered males have no risk of testicular disease and a lower risk of prostate diseases.

At what age should my pet be altered?

Owned dogs and cats should be altered by 5 months of age. Ideally, female animals should be altered BEFORE their first heat cycle or pregnancy. Female cats can breed as early as 4 months; dogs as early as 5 months! Try to avoid those “accidental” litters!

What does spay/neuter really mean?

Black catSpay and neuter are forms of preventing unwanted litters by surgically removing the internal reproductive organs from your pet. The operation is done painlessly while your pet is under anesthesia, and is performed by an experienced licensed veterinarian. After the operation, with a little special care and attention from you, your pet will soon resume its normal activities.

How can I spay/neuter outside pets?

How can I spay/neuter outside pets? People who care for outside pet cats that are not used to handling can borrow humane box traps from People for Animals. This type of trap will enclose the pet without harm, enabling it to be transported to our clinic. This method is referred to as Trap Neuter Return (TNR). People for Animals holds TNR Workshops –  click here for information. If you cannot attend a workshop or need assistance sooner then the next workshop, please contact tnr@pfaonline.org or call either clinic.

How will spay/neuter prevent animal suffering?

The tragic fact is that 13 million puppies, dogs, kittens and cats are “put to sleep” (euthanized) by shelters each year. Over 3,000 dogs and cats are born every hour in the United States. There are simply not enough homes for them. Untold thousands of unwanted cats and dogs, left to fend for themselves in the streets, will most likely die at young ages from starvation, injury or disease. Some strays are picked up and sold illegally to laboratories, becoming victims of painful and unnecessary experimentation.

Please prevent unwanted pets through spay and neuter, and you will prevent these animals from suffering and death.