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Mandatory spay and neuter laws are absolutely practical but to try and enforce them is a major problem. I live in a small, rural community and whereas the in-town folks are complaining about the strays, you have the farmers that believe if you spay or neuter your farm dog or cat, they won't do their jobs; which is a falacy because my animals do a bang-up job of taking care of business. I have no snakes, mice, rats or any other unwanted critters; although I am a little mad at them for the slight decline in my bird population.

There are more dog and cat populations on this planet than humans and we number 7 billion. The biggest problem is the cost factor. Most vets charge upwards of $105.00, which is excessive and most people can't afford it, particularly with the price of fuel, groceries and electricity. I have taken in several strays and it cost me a fortune so I can see why it's not at the top of the To Do List for most people.

One thing that we have to understand is that WE need to be the responsible parties here. Animals are not a convenience, they are no different than having children to take care of: to feed, shelter, train and make sure they get medical care. Just because you want one doesn't mean that after you get him/her that's all there is to it. Once you get that cute ball of fur, it's going to grow up and you need to make sure that the animal gets fixed and doesn't roam the neighborhoods.

In most large cities, they have low-cost or no-cost clinics and vans that travel around and perform the procedures; so there is no reason for the animal populations to exist in those areas, which means that the human has options to curb the problem and they don't. In rural areas, we don't have access to those services. In my small community I am working with the County Commissioners to not only build a desperately needed animal shelter but to also have a van that will travel in our county to perform the needed procedures.

If we need to enforce mandatory spay and neuter, it does work, case in point; Australia. They were overrun with strays and instituted the law. You might see some strays when you visit that country, but you can bet they've been fixed. They also use the (CSNR), Catch, Spay-Neuter Release program for their feral cat population. Between the two programs this also means that their adoption program is not overwhelmed.

I think if we just make it more affordable to the entire nation, we could see this problem cleared up in as little as a couple of years. We just need to get everybody on the same page. If people could afford to do it then a mandatory law would not be required.

On behalf of the animals, I don't think the females appreciate having litter after litter or for the babies that are left in boxes in some ditch to suffer and die. How many more animals do you have to see dead on the highway or digging through trash for food because they are skin and bones? These beautiful, loving animals suffer and die everyday because nobody took responsibility. If you truly care about the problem, please help your community by donating your time, money or becoming a foster parent to an animal. If you already have an animal, be part of the solution, not the problem.

Learn more about this author, Nanette Piotrowski.
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