Whoever said you can't buy
happiness forgot little puppies. 
~ Gene Hill ~

You cannot look at a
sleeping cat and feel tense.
~ Jane Pauley ~

FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much and don't give them enough exercise.

MYTH: It's better to have one litter first.

FACT: Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age. Check with your veterinarian about the appropriate time for these procedures.

MYTH: My children should experience the miracle of birth.

FACT: Even if children are able to see a pet give birth—which is unlikely, since it usually occurs at night and in seclusion—the lesson they will really learn is that animals can be created and discarded as it suits adults. Instead, it should be explained to children that the real miracle is life and that preventing the birth of some pets can save the lives of others.

MYTH: But my pet is a purebred.

FACT: So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats—mixed breed and purebred.

MYTH: I want my dog to be protective.

FACT: Spaying or neutering does not affect a dog's natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog's personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones.

MYTH: I don't want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.

FACT: Pets don't have any concept of sexual identity or ego. Neutering will not change a pet's basic personality. He doesn't suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered.

MYTH: But my dog (or cat) is so special, I want a puppy (or kitten) just like her.

FACT: A dog or cat may be a great pet, but that doesn't mean her offspring will be a carbon copy. Professional animal breeders who follow generations of bloodlines can't guarantee they will get just what they want out of a particular litter. A pet owner's chances are even slimmer. In fact, an entire litter of puppies or kittens might receive all of a pet's (and her mate's) worst characteristics.

MYTH: It's too expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered.

FACT: The cost of spaying or neutering depends on the sex, size, and age of the pet, your veterinarian's fees, and a number of other variables. But whatever the actual price, spay or neuter surgery is a one-time cost—a relatively small cost when compared to all the benefits. It's a bargain compared to the cost of having a litter and ensuring the health of the mother and litter; two months of pregnancy and another two months until the litter is weaned can add up to significant veterinary bills and food costs if complications develop. Most importantly, it's a very small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of the births of more unwanted pets.

MYTH: I'll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens.

FACT: You may find homes for all of your pet's litter. But each home you find means one less home for the dogs and cats in shelters who need good homes. Also, in less than one year's time, each of your pet's offspring may have his or her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. The problem of pet overpopulation is created and perpetuated one litter at a time.

Why Spay or Neuter?
Reducing pet over-population is one of the main goals of our organization. Too many pets and not enough homes results in euthanasia of adoptable pets. Nationwide, the Humane Society of the United States estimates 4 to 5 million pets are euthanized in shelters EVERY year. This tragedy could end almost immediately if all pets were sterilized. You can help reduce the numbers of  litters born by sterilizing your pets BEFORE they are 5 months old and encourage your friends and relatives to do the same. You will save $$ too.

PET OVERPOPULATION MEANS... 
Each year, more than 12,000,000 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens end up at animal shelters around the country.  Sadly, nearly 8,000,000 of those animals have to be euthanized because there aren't enough homes for them all.

An unspayed female cat, her mate and all of their
offspring, producing 2 litters per year, with 2.8  surviving kittens per litter can total:

1 year: 12 kittens
2 years: 67 kittens
3 years:  376 kittens
4 years:  2,107 kittens
5 years: 11,801 kittens
6 years: 66,088 kittens
7 years: 370,092 kittens
8 years: 2,072,514 kittens
9 years: 1,606,077 kittens!!

Every day in the United States, more than 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. When this number is compared to the 10,000 human births each day, it's clear that there can never be homes for them all.

WHAT DOES PET OVERPOPULATION HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
Just about everything. It's hard to imagine that letting your pet have one --- or even two --- litters causes a problem, especially if you find homes for most of the puppies or kittens. But the fact is that  "just one litter" does cause pet overpopulation. In less than a year, all of the little ones in your pet's litter could be having litters on their own. Every day, thousands of healthy puppies and kittens must be destroyed --- and each one of those thousands came from "just one litter."
 

PET OVERPOPULATION: 
A PROBLEM YOU CAN HELP SOLVE
Fortunately, there is a solution to pet overpopulation: a routine surgical procedure called spay or neuter. Talk to your veterinarian about spaying and neutering. Prevent a litter and be a part of the solution to the tragedy of pet overpopulation.
 

IT'S  GOOD FOR YOUR PET. IT'S A FACT THAT:

• Spayed and neutered pets live longer, healthier lives.
• Spaying and neutering can eliminate or reduce the incident of a number of  health problems that can be very difficult and expensive to treat.
• Spaying females eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incident of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before the first estrous cycle.
• Neutering males reduces the incident of prostate cancer and prostate disorders.

IT'S GOOD FOR YOU BECAUSE:

• Spayed and neutered pets are better behaved.
• Neutered cats are less likely to spray and mark territory.
• Spaying a female eliminates its heat cycle. Estrus lasts an average of six to twelve days, often twice a year, in dogs, and an average of six to seven days, three or more times a year, in cats. Females in heat can cry incessantly, show nervous behavior, and attract unwanted male animals.
• Spayed and neutered pets are less likely to bite. Unaltered animals often exhibit more behavior and temperament problems than do those that have been spayed or neutered.
• Neutered males are less likely to roam the neighborhood, run away, or get into fights.

IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR COMMUNITY
Communities spend millions of dollars to control and eliminate unwanted animals. Irresponsible breeding contributes to the problem of dog bites and attacks. Animal shelters are overburdened with surplus animals. Stray pets and homeless animals get into trash, dig up lawns, and frighten or anger citizens. Some strays also scare away or kill birds and wildlife.
 

Beyond Birth Control: 
Why Spay or Neuter Your Pet?
 By Susan Horowitz, D.V.M.

Although the impact on pet overpopulation and therefore on the shelter population cannot be overemphasized, there are important health benefits to your pet as well.

What happens during “heat”:

• An unspayed female cat or dog has an estrus cycle at the time the pet is able to conceive, known commonly as being “in heat.”  
• Dogs commonly have swelling of the vulva and may bleed for 3 to 21 days. They attract male dogs during this time. The female dog averages two heat periods a year.
• On the other hand, a female cat is considered seasonally polyestrus. In other words, most female cats come into heat about January or February and remain in heat until they are bred (as opposed to a dog who will eventually go out of heat). If she is not bred, the hormonal influences continue and often lead to false pregnancy or uterine infection. After a female has a litter, she will come into heat again within a couple of weeks. Most cats do not stop having a heat cycle until the late fall (and some never do). The female cat often makes loud noises or behaves unusually while she is in heat. 

• Because of hormonal fluxes, it is common for many intact older cats and dogs to have cystic ovaries and uterine infections. The uterus can fill with pus (apyrometra) --a life-threatening situation. Although early treatment is to give the pet antibiotics and fluids, if it is not effective, the veterinarian must remove the uterus and ovaries. Although a simple spay on a younger animal, this surgery becomes serious and much more extensive and dangerous when done on a debilitated animal.
• Mammary tumors are common in the unspayed female cat and dog.  A high percentage of these tumors are malignant. Studies have demonstrated that mammary masses are very rare in dogs and cats that have been spayed prior to their first heat and much lower in females spayed before a year and a half of age.
• Male cats that have not been neutered are more likely to wander the neighborhood --especially if there is a nearby female in heat. They are also at a greater risk of diseases such as Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus ( FIV). The primary group infected with FIV is intact male cats. 
• Roaming intact male cats and dogs are also at risk for hazards such as being attacked by other animals and hit by a car. 
• Intact male cats will probably spray or mark their territory. The urine of an intact male is strong and odiferous and difficult to remove.
• Many older intact male dogs have prostate problems. A neutered male is less likely to develop prostatic disease.

Myths that spaying or neutering will change your pet’s personality are simply not true. Your pet’s basic personality should remain the same.  However, male dogs may be less aggressive and less likely to wander when they are neutered. The other frequently heard myth that an altered pet will become fat and lazy also has no basis in fact. Just like people, if the pet is exercised and fed properly, it should remain in shape.

There are many health and behavioral benefits to spaying and neutering your pet. But don’t forget when you spay or neuter your pet, not only are you protecting your pet from future health problems, you are also helping to prevent the flood of unwanted, homeless kittens and puppies that enter shelters each year. 

Spay or neuter surgery carries a one-time cost that is relatively minuscule compared to its long-term benefits, including the more personal benefits above and beyond helping to curb pet overpopulation. Getting pets spayed or neutered helps them live longer, healthier lives, and makes them more affectionate companions. It will also make them less likely to spray and mark territory, and will eliminate heat cycles. In addition, unsterilized animals often exhibit more behavioral and temperament problems than do those who have been spayed or neutered.

Neutering or spaying may diminish your pet's overall activity level, natural tendency to wander, and hormonal balances, which may influence appetite. Pets that become fat and lazy after being altered usually are overfed and do not get enough exercise.

Breeding two purebred animals rarely results in offspring that are exactly like one of the parents. With mixed breeds, it is virtually impossible to have offspring that are exactly like one of the parents.

Any change will be for the better. After being altered, your pet will be less aggressive toward other dogs or cats, have a better personality, and will be less likely to wander. Spraying (urine marking), which is often done by dogs and cats to mark their territory, diminishes or ceases after pets are altered.

Even well-known breeders are fortunate if they break even on raising purebred litters. The cost of raising such a litter -- which includes stud fees, vaccinations and other health care costs, and feeding a quality food -- consumes most of the "profit." Well-known breeders raise breeds that they like. These breeders also try to improve the standard of the breeds they raise.

Pets often have their litters in the middle of the night or in a place of their own choosing. Because pets need privacy when giving birth, any unnecessary intrusion can cause the mother to become seriously upset. These intrusions can result in an unwillingness to care for the offspring or in injury to the owners or to the pet.
 

Placing a pet under anesthesia is a very common concern of owners. Although there is always a slight risk involved, the anesthetics currently used by veterinarians are very safe. Many veterinarians use equipment that monitors heart and respiratory rates during surgery to ensure that their patients are doing well under anesthesia. Thus, the medical benefits of having your pet spayed or neutered far outweigh the slight risk involved with undergoing anesthesia. Consult your veterinarian if your are concerned about this aspect of the procedure.

LOOK !!!
Photos at Petco