WE CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF SPAYING AND NEUTERING YOUR CAT!!!
Overpopulation is a very, very serious problem with domestic cats. Just take a look at your local shelter or rescue organization- I'm sure you will find TONS of cats looking for homes! Unfortunately, there are far too many cats and too few people to take care of them. By spaying and neutering your cat, you are making sure that he or she will not add further unwanted kittens to the already vast number of cats looking for homes. If he/she is an outdoor cat, it is even more imperative that they be "fixed". Domestic cats who are allowed outdoors contribute greatly to the continuous breeding that leaves us with the great number of strays in our state. Not only will spay/neutering your cat prevent more homeless kittens, but it benefits your cat's health as well. Male cats who are neutered get into far fewer fights with other cats and urine mark much less frequently. Female cats who are spayed are spared the pain of pregnancy and harassment by male cats looking to mate. Trap-Neuter-Return is an AMAZING way to control the feral population and better the lives of feral cats. Spay/Neuter is humane, responsible, and necessary. Unless you are planning on breeding your cat- in which case, please consider very carefully whether or not you will be able to take care of its offspring!!- you MUST spay or neuter your cat.
All of the kitties adopted from C.A.T.S. will be spay/neutered prior to adoption, however if you already have a cat who needs to be "fixed", there are many low-cost facilities available!
All of the kitties adopted from C.A.T.S. will be spay/neutered prior to adoption, however if you already have a cat who needs to be "fixed", there are many low-cost facilities available!
LOW COST SPAY/NEUTER FACILITIES & EMERGENCY VETS IN THE RI/SOUTHERN MA AREA:
Trap-Neuter-Return for feral cats and kittens!
Creature Comfort Mobile Vet - read about them here!
SALMON RIVER MOBILE VET
CALL: 401-793-0092 FOR A LOCATION NEAREST TO YOU
$80.00 (SPAY OR A NEUTER, RABIES AND DISTEMPER) INCLUSIVE
WEBSITE
SYLVAN ANIMAL CLINIC - 474 Durfee St, Fall River, MA 02720
508-679-6122
www.sylvananimalclinic.com
PET PARTNERS - 130 Shaw St, Fall River, MA 02720
508-672-4813
www.petpartnersne.com
[email protected]
ANIMAL ADVOCATES
508-991-7727
www.animaladvocatesma.org
POTTERS LEAGUE SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC - 235 Elm Street, Warwick, RI
www.potterleague.org/spay-and-neuter-clinic/
[email protected]
401-369-7297
THE SNYPP CLINIC - 9 Church St, Pascoag, RI 02859
401-568-3223
www.snyppclinicri.com
EMERGENCY Vet Help
Bay State Vet and Emergency Services – Swansea, MA (508) 349-1233
Ocean State Veterinary Hospital – East Greenwich, RI (401) 886-6787
Mass-RI Veterinary ER – Swansea, MA (508) 730-1112
ASPCA Animal Poison Control – (888) 426-4435
For more information on the importance of spay/neuter, please see these links:
SNAP- Spay Neuter Assistance Program
(THIS IS A WONDERFUL SITE WHICH EXPLORES THE MANY BENEFITS OF SPAY&NEUTER!!)
Happy Cat
The Humane Society
About.com article's on the Importance of Spay/Neuter
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
SNAP- Spay Neuter Assistance Program
(THIS IS A WONDERFUL SITE WHICH EXPLORES THE MANY BENEFITS OF SPAY&NEUTER!!)
Happy Cat
The Humane Society
About.com article's on the Importance of Spay/Neuter
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
DEBUNKING THE MYTHS OF SPAY/NEUTER
This is an article featured on one of our favorite sites: www.SNAP.org:
Myth: Female dogs and cats should have at least one litter before having them spayed.
Truth: There is no medical evidence to justify allowing a dog or cat to have a litter before spaying. In fact, spaying female dogs and cats eliminates the possibility of developing uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the threat of mammary cancer.
Myth: Animals become less active and overweight as a result of spaying or neutering.
Truth: As any animal matures, it is necessary for human guardians to adjust dietary intake to compensate for more sedentary lifestyles. Animals become overweight only when they are fed too much and not exercised properly.
Myth: Behavior is adversely affected by sterilization.
Truth: The only changes in dog and cat behavior after spaying or neutering are positive changes. Male cats tend to reduce territorial spraying, depending on their age at neutering. Neutered dogs and cats fight less, resulting in fewer bite and scratch wounds and lessening the spread of contagious diseases. Male dogs and cats tend to stay home more after neutering because they no longer wander in search of a mate.
Myth: Spaying and neutering is painful to my dog or cat.
Truth: Surgical sterilization is performed under general anesthesia by a doctor of veterinary medicine. The procedure itself is not felt by the patient. There may be mild discomfort after the surgery, but most animals return to normal activity within 24 to 72 hours. The minimal discomfort experienced by dogs and cats that are spayed or neutered can be lessened with post-operative pain medications and is well worth the endless suffering that is prevented by eliminating homeless puppies and kittens.
Myth: Children should be allowed to witness the miracle of birth.
Truth: Most dogs and cats have their litters at night in quiet, dark places far out of anyone's sight. Besides, every litter of puppies and kittens born contributes to the thousands of unwanted dogs and cats who die every day across America in our nation's pounds and animal shelters.
Myth: Female dogs and cats should have at least one litter before having them spayed.
Truth: There is no medical evidence to justify allowing a dog or cat to have a litter before spaying. In fact, spaying female dogs and cats eliminates the possibility of developing uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the threat of mammary cancer.
Myth: Animals become less active and overweight as a result of spaying or neutering.
Truth: As any animal matures, it is necessary for human guardians to adjust dietary intake to compensate for more sedentary lifestyles. Animals become overweight only when they are fed too much and not exercised properly.
Myth: Behavior is adversely affected by sterilization.
Truth: The only changes in dog and cat behavior after spaying or neutering are positive changes. Male cats tend to reduce territorial spraying, depending on their age at neutering. Neutered dogs and cats fight less, resulting in fewer bite and scratch wounds and lessening the spread of contagious diseases. Male dogs and cats tend to stay home more after neutering because they no longer wander in search of a mate.
Myth: Spaying and neutering is painful to my dog or cat.
Truth: Surgical sterilization is performed under general anesthesia by a doctor of veterinary medicine. The procedure itself is not felt by the patient. There may be mild discomfort after the surgery, but most animals return to normal activity within 24 to 72 hours. The minimal discomfort experienced by dogs and cats that are spayed or neutered can be lessened with post-operative pain medications and is well worth the endless suffering that is prevented by eliminating homeless puppies and kittens.
Myth: Children should be allowed to witness the miracle of birth.
Truth: Most dogs and cats have their litters at night in quiet, dark places far out of anyone's sight. Besides, every litter of puppies and kittens born contributes to the thousands of unwanted dogs and cats who die every day across America in our nation's pounds and animal shelters.
SOME HEALTH BENEFITS OF SPAY & NEUTER
- courtesy of our friends at SNAP.org
Male Cats:
As with unneutered male dogs, an urge to breed increases the chances that a male cat will slip out of the house in search of a mate and suffer fight wounds and other injuries. By far, most serious cat fights occur between unneutered males. The resulting wounds frequently develop into abscesses that must be surgically drained and treated with antibiotics. Worse, even a single bite can transmit deadly diseases - most often, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) or Feline Leukemia (FeLV) - from one cat to another. FIV, for which no vaccine or cure currently exists, causes fatal failure of the immune system.
Female Cats:
Spaying removes the ovaries and uterus from female animals and so eliminates the possibility of ovarian and uterine infection or cancer. Bacterial infection of the uterus (pyometra) commonly afflicts older unspayed dogs and cats. As pyometra advances, bacterial poisons enter the bloodstream, causing general illness and often kidney failure. If the uterus ruptures, the dog or cat will almost certainly die. Pyometra requires emergency spaying, which may fail to save an animal already severely weakened. The best preventative is to spay dogs and cats while they are young and healthy.
Spaying can also prevent mammary gland tumors, the most common tumor in unspayed female dogs and the third most common in female cats.(*) A high percentage of mammary tumors are malignant: in dogs, nearly 50 percent; in cats, nearly 90 percent. Once a mammary tumor spreads to the lungs or bones, the cancer will be fatal. An unspayed dog is approximately 4 times more likely to develop mammary tumors than a dog spayed after only two heats, 12 times more likely than a dog spayed before her first year (by 6 -8 months of age).(*) An unspayed cat is seven times more likely than a spayed cat to develop mammary tumors.
Spayed dogs and cats avoid the dangers of giving birth. A birth canal that is overly narrow - due to injury (such as a broken pelvis) or, as in bulldogs, to a breed trait of narrow hips - make giving birth perilous. So does inadequate body size, which can leave a Chihuahua, toy poodle, Yorkshire terrier, or other small dog too weak to deliver puppies naturally.
Such disabilities often necessitate Caesarian section to save the dog or cat's life. When a small dog begins to nurse her puppies, she is also vulnerable to eclampsia, in which blood calcium plummets. Initial symptoms include panting, high fever, and trembling. Unless given an emergency intravenous injection of calcium, the dog will suffer seizures and die.
(*)References: Johnston, Shirley D., questions and answers on the effects of surgically neutering dogs and cats, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Vol. 198, 1991, pp. 1206 - 1214
As with unneutered male dogs, an urge to breed increases the chances that a male cat will slip out of the house in search of a mate and suffer fight wounds and other injuries. By far, most serious cat fights occur between unneutered males. The resulting wounds frequently develop into abscesses that must be surgically drained and treated with antibiotics. Worse, even a single bite can transmit deadly diseases - most often, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) or Feline Leukemia (FeLV) - from one cat to another. FIV, for which no vaccine or cure currently exists, causes fatal failure of the immune system.
Female Cats:
Spaying removes the ovaries and uterus from female animals and so eliminates the possibility of ovarian and uterine infection or cancer. Bacterial infection of the uterus (pyometra) commonly afflicts older unspayed dogs and cats. As pyometra advances, bacterial poisons enter the bloodstream, causing general illness and often kidney failure. If the uterus ruptures, the dog or cat will almost certainly die. Pyometra requires emergency spaying, which may fail to save an animal already severely weakened. The best preventative is to spay dogs and cats while they are young and healthy.
Spaying can also prevent mammary gland tumors, the most common tumor in unspayed female dogs and the third most common in female cats.(*) A high percentage of mammary tumors are malignant: in dogs, nearly 50 percent; in cats, nearly 90 percent. Once a mammary tumor spreads to the lungs or bones, the cancer will be fatal. An unspayed dog is approximately 4 times more likely to develop mammary tumors than a dog spayed after only two heats, 12 times more likely than a dog spayed before her first year (by 6 -8 months of age).(*) An unspayed cat is seven times more likely than a spayed cat to develop mammary tumors.
Spayed dogs and cats avoid the dangers of giving birth. A birth canal that is overly narrow - due to injury (such as a broken pelvis) or, as in bulldogs, to a breed trait of narrow hips - make giving birth perilous. So does inadequate body size, which can leave a Chihuahua, toy poodle, Yorkshire terrier, or other small dog too weak to deliver puppies naturally.
Such disabilities often necessitate Caesarian section to save the dog or cat's life. When a small dog begins to nurse her puppies, she is also vulnerable to eclampsia, in which blood calcium plummets. Initial symptoms include panting, high fever, and trembling. Unless given an emergency intravenous injection of calcium, the dog will suffer seizures and die.
(*)References: Johnston, Shirley D., questions and answers on the effects of surgically neutering dogs and cats, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Vol. 198, 1991, pp. 1206 - 1214
Now that you know how important it is to spay and neuter your pet, we hope that you will spread the word, and hopefully one day soon we can end the millions of unwanted animals that are euthanized in shelters every year!!!
