Neutering pets is very important
The Headwaters Animal Shelter 2006 Spay/Neuter Clinic was a great success. We would like to thank Dr. Alan and Kathy Olander from the Country Cat Vet Clinic, Dr. Mia Long from the Ark Vet Clinic and Dr. Kevin Haroldson from the Backroads Vet Clinic for participating in this year's clinic. One hundred cats from the community were spayed or neutered.
Did you know every unneutered male cat can sire up to 2,500 kittens a year, and an unsprayed female and her offspring can produce up to 420,000 cats in seven years? To make a point, let's assume 50 of this year's spay/neuter clinic's cats were male and 50 were female. Spaying/neutering these 100 animals will prevent the unwanted, unneeded births of an estimated 22,125,000 cats in this community over the next seven years. Mind boggling, isn't it?
The need and urgency for people to get their pets spayed or neutered cannot be overstated. Every year, hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters nationwide due to the lack of homes and for the lack of shelter space. Hundreds of thousands more animals that don't make it into the shelters are left homeless to fend for themselves and are doomed to much shortened lives of suffering from starvation, disease and injury.
Reducing pet overpopulation by spaying and neutering is the only way we can impact this needless death and suffering in our companion animal population. Please be an advocate for responsible pet ownership and get your pet spayed or neutered. Please urge others to do the same, for the sake of all companion animals.
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Rochelle Hamp
Headwaters Animal Shelter manager
