TIP OF THE WEEK
Date: 4/22/21 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sheriff Curtis Landers
541-265-0654
PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS
Pet owners can help solve our community’s pet overpopulation by spaying and neutering their pets. While there are unplanned puppies in need of homes, in our area, cat overpopulation is more severe. One unspayed female cat can give birth to 16 cats in one year, her litter will produce more kittens, and this cycle just continues. Over her lifetime, the cat population can increase by thousands of cats.
Facts about U.S. Animal Shelters from the ASPCA:
- Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats.
- Each year, approximately 2.6 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats).
- Approximately 2.7 million shelter animals are adopted each year (1.4 million dogs and 1.3 million cats).
- About 649,000 animals who enter shelters as strays are returned to their owners. Of those, 549,000 are dogs and only 100,000 are cats.
- Of the dogs entering shelters, approximately 35% are adopted, 31% are euthanized and 26% of dogs who came in as strays are returned to their owner.
- Of the cats entering shelters, approximately 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized, and less than 5% of cats who came in as strays are returned to their owners.
- About twice as many animals enter shelters as strays compared to the number that are relinquished by their owners.
Our shelter does not euthanize for time or space and all adoptable animals are rehomed or transferred. However, due to the demand for space for lost animals and owner surrenders, a waiting list is sometimes required for pets to be accepted by the shelter. The waitlist can be quite long in the summer due to the dozens of litters of incoming kittens. You can help by having your pets spayed or neutered, identifying your animals with tags and microchips, planning ahead if you need to rehome your animal, and making a plan for your pets in case of your death or long-term illness.
Our local veterinarians generally spay and neuter animals as young as four to six months old. When you adopt an animal from the Lincoln County Animal Shelter, and most other shelters, the pets will already be altered. If you are caring for feral or other community cats, please help by having them spayed or neutered. You can find assistance from the Central Coast Humane Society at 541-265-3719 or at www.oregonspayneuter.org.
Spaying or neutering your pets reduces the risk of life-threatening illnesses and behavioral problems:
- Neutering dogs while they are puppies or young adults will largely prevent prostatic hyperplasia, which is an abnormal increase in the number of cells and possible infection.
- Reduces the risk of your dog being struck by a car. Neutered dogs won't run after a female in heat.
- Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.
- Neutering eliminates the tendency of male cats and dogs to "mark" their property.
- Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer.
- Spaying can also prevent mammary gland tumors.
For more information and tips, visit our web site at www.lincolncountysheriff.net, and like us on Facebook at Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – Oregon