Remember this old riddle?
As I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives,
Each wife had seven sacks,
Each sack had seven cats,
Each cat had seven kits:
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were there going to St. Ives?
While the riddle is a trick question (the answer is in the first line), it paints a pretty effective picture of how quickly cats (and dogs) can breed and multiply on their own. In fact, each year in the United States, millions of healthy and adoptable dogs and cats will be euthanized.
Spay Day USA was created by the Doris Day Animal League in 1995 to bring attention to the increasingly serious problem of pet overpopulation, and to encourage animal population control through responsible spaying and neutering. There are also compelling health benefits for pets.
Health Benefits of Spaying and Neutering
According to the ASPCA, spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast tumors, which are malignant or cancerous in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases. Neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer and some prostate problems.
Have a new pet? We offer affordable spay and neuter services along with puppy and kitten health plans. Find your nearest AZPetVet location here.