Education is key to fighting
animal over-population
By Christine Cowett Robinson
Special to the Star-Herald
Kittens are so cute! Everyone wants kittens! Most people love to play with kittens but what they do not realize that statistically not many of them will find a suitable home for life. Instead, these kittens will face starvation, freezing temperatures, disease and predators in their life on the street.
The pet overpopulation problem in America, and the world, is a dire one, especially the cat overpopulation. The cat’s body is capable of producing multiple litters a year making the cat overpopulation problem even more complex. Cats can have their first litter as young as 4 months of age, and puberty can range from 4 to 12 months of age. Many litters are born because people think their cat is too young to bear offspring. They are caught by surprise and end up with four to six more mouths to feed. The gestation period itself ranges from 58-65 days. This rather short time of pregnancy can allow a cat to possibly have up to three litters a year.
Considering all these factors, a breeding pair of cats can cumulatively foster 420,000 offspring in seven years. This total balloons to 10 million cats after only 10 years. With these numbers, it is easy to see that we have an excess in the number of cats in this country. Spaying or neutering your pet helps to ensure that there will be less hungry kittens and cats roaming our streets and suffering needlessly. When you spay or neuter your cat you not only help fight the overpopulation problem, but you also may help your cat lead a healthier life. Certain forms of cancer are less prevalent in altered cats. Also, the roaming distance of a male is usually decreased thus reducing the chance for him to run into trouble (cars, dogs, etc.). So, view spaying and neutering as a benefit to your cat as well as society.
If you want a reason to spay and neuter your cats, stop by the Central Aroostook Humane Society, we have cages full of them, and each day more come in — some pregnant or injured. We are the front line, we are the ones who “take care” of this problem, but we can’t do it alone. Education is key to fighting animal over-population; it is up to each and every one of us to spread the word about spaying and neutering. Talk to your veterinarian about the procedure and schedule an appointment today if you haven’t done so already. It is what being a “responsible pet owner” is all about.
Our shelter is full with dogs too right now. We have been lucky, for quite some time our dog population has been low, but we knew it wouldn’t last forever. We have a female and a litter of puppies, and adult dogs of all ages, with possibly two other pregnant females. Our staff is taxed with all of these critters to care for. Please, be part of the solution and have your pets spayed or neutered.
The following are quotes that may ring true for pet lovers:
• “The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue,”
— Anonymous
• “A dog is the only thing on Earth that loves you more than he loves himself,”
— Josh Billings
• “In order to keep a true perspective of one’s importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him,” — Dereke Bruce, Taipei, Taiwan
If you are looking for a friend for life, please visit the Central Aroostook Humane Society. We are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, or give us a call at 764-3441. You can also visit us online at www.centralaroostookhumanesociety.org.
