February is Spay and Neuter Awareness Month, shedding light on the importance of fixing pets to prevent overpopulation and improve their overall health.
Puppies and kittens can generally be spayed or neutered as young as 2 months, or when they reach at least two pounds.
Spay and neuter procedures can benefit your pet's well-being and help reduce the number of animals in rescues and shelters. Fewer unwanted litters allows more space for pets in need without having to euthanize adoptable animals due to the lack of space in kennels around the state and country.
RELATED: Report: Shelters took in more animals in 2022
Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization, offers a helpful tool showing local clinics and programs that offer free or low-cost spay/neuter options. There are hundreds of them across the country, including dozens in Arizona.
You can also contact your local veterinarians or animal shelters and organizations to find the best options for your budget.
Some of the places that offer cost-effective spay/neuter procedures and information in the Valley include:
- The Arizona Pet Project
- Arizona Humane Society: $20 spay/neuter surgeries throughout February for individuals in qualified zip codes (85051, 85033, 85301, 85009, 85035, 85017, 85021, 85041). Space is limited.
- Altered Tails
- Animal Defense League of Arizona
According to the Best Friends Animal Society, the benefits of spaying and neutering pets include:
- Lowering the number of pets euthanized in animal shelters
- Decreasing the number of accidental litters
- The cost of spay/neuter procedures varies by community, but the one-time expense is much more cost-effective than taking care of litters
- Reducing the risk of future medical problems and expenses including testicular cancer, uterine infections, and ovarian and breast cancers
- Improving territorial marking tendencies, yowling/howling, escaping, and other troublesome behaviors
- Lowering the probability that pets will try to escape their home in search of a mate
- Spayed or neutered pets are often more relaxed, and even more affectionate
- Greatly impacting the number of dog bite incidents in a community. Most dog bites (60–80 percent) are caused by intact male dogs. Pregnant or nursing female dogs are more likely to bite as well. Reducing your pet’s likelihood of biting or fighting may also help protect you from potential legal action. Spayed/neutered pets are less likely to engage in behaviors that could cause problems with neighbors.
You can also help reduce the overpopulation of outdoor cats through Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) programs.
If there are stray cats in your area that you are interested in getting spayed or neutered to reduce the number of litters, click here.
For more information on TNR, click here.
