by Brenda Nelson

Created on: June 28, 2009

An estimated four to six million animals are killed in shelters throughout the USA ever year. They call it euthanasia, but this is only a word used to make killing sound prettier. The death of all these animals is not pretty. Although shelters are often blamed, the real blame lies with owners who have not had their pet spayed or neutered.

Spaying or neutering removes all chance of a pet reproducing, it also reduces aggressive behavior, roaming, and removes the risk of them developing some cancers. Sadly many ignorant owners out there feel that allowing a pet to have one litter is somehow beneficial to the pet (it is not). Many owners think their children will benefit from seeing the miracle of birth, or they just want to see what cute kittens or puppies their pet will have. The problem multiplies when they find homes for the litter because now they feel it is okay to allow their pet to have another.

What most people fail to understand is that every kitten or puppy who finds a home ensures that another kitten or puppy will not find a home.

As cats have an average litter of four to five kittens and can have as many as four litters in a year, the problem really compounds. Some breeds of dogs, particularly the large breeds, can have a dozen puppies in a litter, and while they usually only have two litters a year, they too can have more.

In order to accommodate for all the kittens and puppies born, every man, woman, and child, would have to own a minimum of 3 cats and 1.5 dogs all the time. Thus a family of four would have to own at least twelve cats and six dogs if we want to see an end to euthanasia. Additionally if those pets were not kept spayed or neutered, the family would have to be able to keep every produced kitten and puppy from their animals. This is not realistic, as such, the only practical solution is for people to spay or neuter their pets.

Females can be spayed at six months of age. Males can be neutered when their testicles have descended, often around eight or ten months of age. Some people suggest earlier spaying or neutering just to ensure that it gets done, but others have pointed out complications due to early surgeries, such as the cat being at more risk for urinary tract problems later in life. Nonetheless, spaying or neutering is 100% effective to solve the problem of having kittens or puppies born.

We are not at risk of running out of pets, reputable breeders will still produce cats and dogs. A few stray animals will continue to

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