I just got my hands on the quarterly newsletter for the Rutland County Humane Society in Pittsford, Vermont — the shelter where I found my Lally Bee. RCHS is offering a great new program to help fight cat overpopulation in Rutland County.
The program is called Spay the Mom. If your cat has a litter, you can bring momma cat and her kittens to the shelter. Rutland County Humane Society will spay the mother and return her to you at no cost. The kittens will be kept at the shelter and adopted into loving homes — after being spayed and/or neutered.
If you happen to live in Rutland County, this is a great program. The kittens are assured a healthy future in good homes; the momma is returned home and won’t have to worry about getting pregnant again. If you don’t live in that neck of the woods, talk to your local shelter about the possibility of starting a program like Spay the Mom! It may not be feasible in your area — but if it is, just think about all the animals that will be helped with such a program!
Spaying and neutering is a good idea for any pet.
- Spaying and neutering helps your pets live a longer, healthier life.
- Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine and/or ovarian cancer and reduces the risk of breast cancer in female animals.
- Neutering eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer and lowers the chances of prostate disease in male animals.
- Pets that are spayed or neutered are often more affectionate, and have less temperament problems.
- Neutered cats are less likely to spray to mark territory.
- Spayed and neutered pets are less likely to roam the neighborhood or get into fights.
- A dog or cat in heat is a target for the other animals in the neighborhood. When my parents’ dog was in heat, we had a hard time keeping other dogs away from the yard. There was a LOT of howling.
- A pregnant dog or cat is an extra financial burden — vet visits and special food and then how many more new mouths to feed?
- Animal shelters are full of animal mothers who got pregnant and got abandoned by their people.
- Communities spend millions of dollars to help control unwanted and/or stray animals.