Spay and Neuter Your Pets!

A Speech by Nicole Albert, Scottsdale Strays Volunteer

How many times have you seen a stray cat wander through your neighborhood, or across the street? Probably everyone has. But were you aware that cat probably lives in a colony of about 20 cats behind a grocery store, or in a cemetery, or hidden in bushes? Scottsdale Community College is home to many feral dogs, but most don't know that either. The truth is, thousands of unloved, unhappy and unwanted animals roam the streets without families. Many have pets that we love, but for every animal that has a loving home like yours, there are hundreds more who do not. The cause of pet overpopulation and suffering is that people do not spay and neuter their pets. Pet overpopulation is a serious problem that affects even those who do not have pets of their own.

Over 200 animals are euthanized every day in Maricopa County alone. Twenty million dogs and cats are killed each year - at least half in public pounds and nonprofit shelters. The other half die on the streets from starvation, disease and human acts of torture and violence. These victims are the unwanted puppies and kittens of unspayed or neutered pets.

Most of these deaths are kittens - four of every ten kittens in a litter die. That's 40%. For example, Smelly Belly, one Scottsdale Strays rescue, was born in a litter of five kittens and is the only survivor of that litter. A fatal disease called panleukopenia claimed their lives. Similarly, Juliet, another rescue, had two siblings. They were euthanized because they were FIV positive - yes, the AIDS virus has a feline strain too. These kittens contract diseases like panleukopenia, FIV and feline leukemia because they live on the streets.

Scottsdale Strays has rescued hundreds of these animals and found them loving homes, but there are too many out there for us to save them all.

To be specific, spaying a female pet is called an ovariohysterectomy. This is the same procedure that is done for women with ovarian cancer; the ovaries and uterus of the cat are removed. The benefits for the animal who has had this procedure are that the animal is at a much lower risk for uterine infections and breast cancer. The benefits for you are that you won't have to deal with the mess of a cat in heat and an added bonus: you won't have every neighborhood male dog or cat visiting you because they drawn by the smell of a lady in heat. With males, the procedure is even simpler. The veterinarian just removes the testicles. The benefits of neutering for the animal are that the chances of prostate problems occurring are greatly reduced and the chance of your pet catching a sexually transmitted diseases eliminated. And for the pet owner? No spraying, no roaming around in search of females, no territorial fighting and neutered pets are less expensive to license. Spaying and neutering pets is the only way to reduce and eventually eliminate pet overpopulation. If you truly love animals and want to help them, spaying or neutering is the place to start.

You may have heard quite a few rumors about spaying and neutering, and I can assure you that most of them are not true. A few myths about spaying and neutering are:

Myth: A female cat or dog should have a litter before she is spayed.

Fact: The sooner you spay your female, the better her health will be in the future. Veterinarians are doing perfectly safe sterilization as early as 2 months of age or two pounds. The likelihood of developing mammary tumors or uterine infections increases the longer a female goes unspayed. In fact, a female spayed before sexual maturity (usually 6 to 9 months of age) has one-seventh the risk of an intact female of developing mammary cancer.

Myth: Spaying or neutering (sterilization) will alter my pet's personality.

Fact: Not true. Any changes that happen with your pet will be positive. Pets become calmer and more relaxed.

Myth: Sterilization is a dangerous and painful surgery for my pet.

Fact: Spaying and neutering are the most common surgeries performed on animals. I have seen the surgery myself and it really is no big deal. The incision heals quickly and once the pets wake up from anesthesia, there is seldom any discomfort.

 Myth: Children should witness the miracle of birth.

Fact: Yes, children should witness the miracle of birth when they are old enough. It is an awesome experience. However, children should also learn responsibility and allowing a litter of kittens or puppies come into this world without anywhere to go is about the most irresponsible behavior I've ever seen. While you're at it, you might as well take them down to the Humane Society and show them the miracle of death, too! A better alternative would be a video available at childrens learning stores or a zoo or hatchery.

There are many other ways to help the homeless animals of our area & stop pet overpopulation. Two good ways to help are:

• One of the best ways to do that is to adopt an animal from a shelter instead of buying one from a pet store. Many of the animals in pet stores came from puppy mills that keep dogs in terrible and dirty and disease-ridden conditions. Often, pets you get from those situations are not as loveable and affectionate as animals form the pound or from private non-profit organizations. I know this from experience: my mutt just happens to be the most loveable, cute and perfect dog in the world! However, if you are intent on having a purebred animal, you can still rescue one! Over 25% of animals in shelters are purebreds. There are also rescue organizations that specifically rescue purebreds. And, by adopting an animal from a shelter, you make room for another animal to be rescued from the streets or taken off the euthanasia list at the local pounds!

• Another way to help is to donate money to a local shelter. A little girl named Deanna who had a birthday decided to ask her friends to give donations to Scottsdale Strays instead of birthday gifts for herself. If a six year old girl can be so generous, so can we!

Now, I tried to think of humorous anecdotes to tell to illustrate my point, but making this humorous is like cracking jokes during a eulogy. When I think of all the millions of mistreated animals, humor is the furthest thing from my mind. As Mark Twain said, "Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to." Human treatment of animals is appalling and the only way to reform is for people to know that what they re doing is not OK. Animals are not disposable. Most of us could never even begin to imagine how we would feel if it was our pet out on the streets. The fact is that pets need to be spayed or neutered. After all that they give us - companionship, love and unconditional acceptance - don't you think they're worth it?

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