Happy World Spay Day!

The Humane Society of the United States and the International Humane Society have deemed the last Tuesday in February to be World Spay Day. While the image above has been Photoshopped, there's no denying that kitten season will soon be upon us.

About every eight seconds, a cat or dog is euthanized in a U.S. shelter, for no reason other than that they have no home. Many are perfectly healthy, adoptable cats. Kittens may be adorable, but to help save lives, it's important for you to spay your female cats. This helps control the cat overpopulation that leads to euthanasia. Every cat deserves a loving home for life, not to die alone, stressed and frightened in a shelter. It's not their fault, but they're the ones who lose their lives.

And think of the poor people faced with that unpleasant task! They don't want to kill these animals, but must do so as a part of their jobs. They often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder from the experience. Thoughtless people who couldn't be bothered to spay or neuter their pets have put them in that position. It doesn't have to be that way.

But spaying also provides many benefits beyond population control! It can help avoid problems like:

• Urine Spraying: Did you know that unspayed female cats will spray urine to mark their territory, just like unneutered male cats? It's true! They do it to attract a mate. And unneutered male cats can smell that scent from miles away, even through the walls of your house. Their response? To mark their own territory outside your house. So even if you keep her indoors, an unspayed female cat will not only stink up the inside of your house with urine, you'll have every Tom in the neighborhood stinking up the outside, as well! Yuck-o!
• Cancer: Unspayed female cats can get uterine cancer, just like humans. Spaying removes this possibility by removing the uterus. Cancer not only endangers your cat's life, the treatments for it are much more expensive than simple spaying surgery. 
• Yowling: Cats are not quiet lovers. When they come into season, female cats yowl to attract a mate. Male cats yowl to answer. They yowl more when they get together; it sounds like a cat fight. You've heard them outside at night. If you don't want your cat's voice added to the chorus, get her spayed.
• Aggression: Unspayed female cats are ruled by their hormones. They have much more "wildness" in them and can be moodier and more territorial. If you have a cat, you want to pet her and hold her without getting scratched and bitten. Spaying helps make this possible.

Think you can't afford to have your cat spayed? Think again! The Humane Society has a locator service for free or low-cost spay/neuter services. Just click on that link and enter your Zip code to find one near you.

No more excuses! Don't litter - spay your cat!

Help Mayport Cats, an organization local to me that's helping community cats in a waterside area, by voting for my cat, little Vixen, in the Humane Society's World Spay Day photo contest; just click on her photo below:

Source: photocontest.humanesociety.org via Lynn on Pinterest