World Spay Day

World Spay Day A day to remind you to spay or neuter your pets.

Held annually on the last Tuesday of February.

In 2019, that’s February 26.

Free Spay/Neuter in Knoxville, TN

Remote Area Medical (RAM) is collaborating again with Young-Williams Animal Center and Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley to provide pet registration at the 2019 Knoxville RAM clinic on February 2-3, 2019. RAM patients who have unaltered cats &/or dogs may register those pets for free spay/neuter surgery. Please do not bring animals to the Knoxville RAM Clinic. Surgeries will be performed on a future date. Other free services delivered at the time of surgery will include rabies and distemper vaccines, microchip, and City of Knoxville tags.

Links:

• RAM:ramusa.org
• Young-Williams Animal Center: young-williams.org
• Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley: humanesocietytennessee.org
• City of Knoxville: knoxvilletn.gov

420 Kittens by one cat

420 Kittens! Yes, you saw that right. There is a cat that has birthed 420 kittens. Now that is a lot of kittens and a big family. Dusty the Cat is the mother of these kittens.

Dusty the Cat has had 420 kittens according to Guinness World Records. I had to look into that! That is crazy! I first heard it on Way-FM a Christian Radio Station my hoomans were listening to. Dusty is a tabby cat. She was born in Bonham, TX in 1935. Her last litter was June of 1952, where she gave birth to a single kitten.

The look of this cat when they heard the story about Dusty the Cat having 420 kittens. This cat didn’t want their name mentioned, but said it was okay to use their photo.

A tabby cat named Dusty , born 1935, of Bonham, Texas, USA produced 420 kittens during her breeding life. She gave birth to her last litter (a single kitten) on 12 June 12, 1952.

I cannot imagine having that many kittens. Just think of those kittens and their siblings, they went everywhere! Dusty was multiplying like a rabbit.

I do not know what happened to all 420 kittens, but I hope they had a good home.

This is an example of why spaying and neutering is important.

Help reduce animal overpopulation

Companion animal overpopulation is a problem that continues to tax the resources of communities throughout North America. Each year, millions of animals are euthanized in animal shelters because there are simply not enough people to adopt them.

One of the easiest ways to prevent pet overpopulation is to spay and neuter animals. Cats can reproduce at very fast rates. According to the Cat Rescue, Adoption & Foster Team of Central Oregon, two uncontrolled breeding cats can create the following situation if they have two litters a year at a survival rate of 2.8 kittens per litter: 12 cats in the first year, 66 cats in the second year, and 2,201 cats in the third year. Cats reach puberty between 4 and 12 months of age. Female cats reproduce between January and September, and might come back into “heat” every 14 to 21 days until they have bred or daylight decreases considerably. Cats can give birth 60 days after they have bred.

With regard to when to spay or neuter animals, experts advise taking a “the earlier the better” approach. The North Shore Animal League America’s SpayUSA says that, for many years, veterinarians were taught that cats and dogs had to be one year old to be spayed or neutered. But it is now known that kittens and pups can be spayed or neutered at the age of two months (or two pounds). The American Veterinary Medical Association has endorsed this practice, which is referred to as “early age neutering.” When spayed or neutered early, animals recover more quickly from surgery than they would if spayed or neutered later in life.

The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies offers that spaying or neutering is the responsibility of all pet owners. But for some owners, the cost of spaying or neutering can be a deterrent. Several municipalities, humane societies and SPCAs now offer low-cost spay/neuter programs or clinics to address this issue.

Another organization is the Beat the Heat Alliance, Inc., which offers spay/neuter access, assistance and education in northeastern Tennessee. The group also sponsors the Beat the Heat annual event.

Call 423-921-4519 for PROMPT SPAY/NEUTER access and assistance.

They focus on Cocke, Hawkins, Hancock, Grainger, Hamblen, and Jefferson in northeast TN. Which, I live in Jefferson County! My brother, Joel the Brave, just got neutered by the Jefferson County Humane Society, not by Beat the Heat, but hey here is another place to do that locally.

By controlling the rate of reproduction, communities can help alleviate the strain that is posed by pet overpopulation.

Check out 6 Reasons to Spay or Neuter!

Article compliments of MetroCreative. TF172790

Spaython for Puerto Rico

Spaython for Puerto Rico – The Humane Society of the United States and a coalition of 22 organizations from around the world will begin the first round of the Spayathon for Puerto Rico June 3 to 9, 2018. This ground-breaking initiative aims to spay and neuter at least 20,000 cats and dogs at no cost to pet owners across the Commonwealth by May of 2019, providing much needed assistance to the people and animals of Puerto Rico.

With the support of Governor Ricardo Rosselló and First Lady Beatriz Rosselló, and in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Board of Veterinary Examiners and the Puerto Rico Veterinary Association, the Humane Society of the United States formed a coalition of partners to carry out this historic endeavor.

“This is the first time such a broad collection of national and international groups has come together to intensively reduce the population of animals across an island,” said Tara Loller, Senior Director, Strategic Campaigns and Initiatives.  “We could not make this historic event happen without the generous participation of each and every coalition member.”

Maddie’s Fund® and other non-profit organizations, including PetSmart Charities, Petco Foundation, GreaterGood.org and The 20/22 Act Society, are providing the financial support necessary to carry out this initiative.  Other groups like Banfield Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society and Rescue Bank are providing critical supplies, such as vaccines, pet food and crates.

Veterinary teams from Emancipet, ViDAS, Veterinarians for Puerto Rico, Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University, and Helping Paws Across Borders will provide high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services in locations across the island.

Ground support is being provided by Puerto Rico-based groups, including The Humane Society of Puerto Rico, The Sato Project, The Puerto Rico Dog Fund, Friends of Culebra Animals, Wild at Heart Foundation and Our Big Fat Caribbean Rescue.

In addition to altering tens of thousands of animals, the Spayathon for Puerto Rico campaign also aims to create lasting change for the island by ensuring that dozens of veterinary professionals will receive high quality, high volume spay and neuter training through ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance. And at the conclusion of the campaign, all of the surgical equipment, supplies and other assets leftover will be donated locally to help establish a lasting high quality, high volume spay/neuter infrastructure on the island.

The no-cost spay/neuter clinics will take place throughout the following dates:

Round 1: June 3-9, 2018 – Ceiba, Culebra, Manati, Moca, Ponce, San Juan and Vieques
Round 2: November 3-9, 2018 – Cabo Rojo, Ceiba, Culebra, Manati, Moca, Ponce, San Juan and Vieques
Round 3: February 3-9, 2019 – Cabo Rojo, Ceiba, Culebra, Manati, Moca, Ponce, San Juan and Vieques
Round 4: May 3-9, 2019 – Cabo Rojo, Ceiba, Culebra, Manati, Moca, Ponce and Vieques

Press Release: The Humane Society of the United States.

6 reasons to spay or neuter pets now

6 reasons to spay or neuter pets now – Upon adopting a companion animal, one of the first decisions pet parents should make, advise veterinarians and animal welfare experts, is to spay or neuter their new friend.

I am already fixed! But, my brother, Joel the Brave, (@joelthebravecat) is getting fixed in less than a week. We often hear getting fixed in terms of neutering and spaying a pet. Here are six reasons to spay or neuter your pets.

You can even find neutering and spaying clinics in your area. These are usually held by the humane society and done by veterinarians.

Upon adopting a companion animal, one of the first decisions pet parents should make, advise veterinarians and animal welfare experts, is to spay or neuter their new friend.

Cat and Dog (Importance of neutering and spaying)

Homeless animals are a global problem. Overpopulation continues to plague dogs and cats, and there are as many as 300,000 homeless animals euthanized in animal shelters every year, says The Humane Society of the United States. While many would be quick to assume these are puppies and kittens of “street” animals, the society notes that euthanized animals are often the offspring of family pets – even pure breeds.

Spaying females and neutering males is the most effective method of birth control for these popular pets. Preventing unwanted offspring might be the main reason many pet owners spay or neuter their pets. But there are many additional reasons that make spaying and neutering a good decision.

1. The ASPCA says spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast tumors that are malignant in roughly 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying before a cat’s first heat is ideal.
2. USA Today reports that neutered male dogs live 18 percent longer than dogs that were not neutered, while spayed female dogs live 23 percent longer than those that are not spayed. Neutering reduces the instinct to roam and get into trouble, which may contribute to the longer life expectancy.
3. Neutering can help prevent testicular cancer in male pets.

4. Spayed females will not go into heat. During heat, which can occur four to five days at a time every three weeks during mating season, females may yowl and urinate around the house.

5. WebMD says non-neutered male dogs and cats may mark their territory with urine and can be more aggressive during mating seasons. Neutering can help calm the animals.

6. HSUS states that neutering and spaying is the best way to prevent overpopulation and improves the chances that shelter pets will be adopted.

Contrary to popular belief, spaying and neutering pets will not cause weight gain. As long as pet parents continue to provide exercise and control their pets’ diets, pets will remain fit and in good health.

It’s best to discuss neutering and spaying with a veterinarian to determine the best time for pets to undergo the procedure. Many cats and dogs can be successfully neutered and spayed at around eight weeks of age, but older pets can be spayed or neutered as well.

Article compliments of MetroCreative. TF182735