I just spent the last hour trying to convince a big stray male of some sort to come into my garage. I live on a rather busy highway and he is just wandering. I can not get him to come in- it just breaks my heart because he is so thin and so scared. I am afraid he is going to be hit as he keeps wandering into the road. All because some one would not get their animal spayed or nuetered- I am going back out and see what else I can do. All I know is I am ANGRY for this poor thing.

Trish

My new bumper sticker says "Save Animals' Lives -- Spay & Neuter Your Pets"

Here in NC we see lots of animals killed on highways because few people have fences. I don't understand why. It's so incredibly sad.

I usually don't say much here but I am on the side of the dogs. Having owned both non-neutered and neutered animals I can only say that the procedure is in itself a form of cruelty and should be stopped. There are not too many dogs in the world; there are tooo many people. Is that the solution to world human overpopulation?? Perhaps if there were fewer people there would be more room for the animals, who are not destroying their home planet by the way.
Seriously, the problem is not the animals but the idiots who own them. There just does not seem to be enough enforcement of the laws that should protect these innocents. Or penalties large enough. Pets properly cared for do not wander or have unwanted pregnancies. But if we cannot control ourselves and our children (teen births)how can we hope to control a dog or cat?

Yes, it is the problem with the idiots that own them...but that doesn't mean that pets shouldn't be neutered. "My dog...my choice"...sound like would be one of the people out here in the country who get a dog, put it on a chain in their yard and there it stays until heart worms finally kill it.

Cruel....give me a break!! I guess you think gelding horses is cruel too.

I could give you a dozen or more reasons right off the bat why neutered pets are better pets, but I don't think you really believe that they aren't. I think you're just trying to get a rise out of someone.

"Cruel" is unwanted puppies who struggle to live one way or another, end up spending weeks in shelters and then are euthanized. That's cruel.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone call neutering "cruelty." I had to read your post twice Jim to be sure I understood what you were saying. I agree there are too many people in this world, but we DO manage to control ourselves and our children for the most part. Regulation of pets is almost always underfunded.

Spaying and neutering pets is what people do out of love for their pets.

The message of that bumper sticker, to my view, is that we do not make laws to regulate everyone for the poor behavior of a few. Yes, there are irresponsible pet owners, and I have no defense for them. They probably should not be allowed to own dogs and cats.

But the same can be said for a lot of people in this country, people who do not take care of their children, have no responsibility for training the children, or simply supervising them, keeping them from harming other people. So we should make laws about people having children? They should be licensed to procreate after undergoing training and testing? And we sterilize the people who don't pass our testing?

Well, that might solve a lot of the gang/drug problems, but honestly, we as a society do not accept that sort of law. It's an extreme analogy to many, but it's more true than you think. I can come into your home and tell you what you can and cannot do (barring true abuse) to your children, your pets, or anything else that you consider "yours"?

The solutions to the problems you mention lie in enforcing the laws that are already in place in most of the country, education of the public about responsible pet ownership (including spay and neuter), and challenging stupid assumptions like men not allowing castration of their dogs because they identify with them, stupid ideas about letting a female dog or cat have a litter so the children can witness the "miracle of birth" (ever seen stillborn puppies or an emergency c-section to save the mother's life?) and other ideas that people routinely cling to.

I agree with the bumper sticker.

Have you noticed whenever someone brings up this topic of neutering/spaying their pets, they have to bring up kids?

Its about pets, not kids. Got nothing to do with kids.

Its got to do with tons of pets that don't get fixed and are left to be breeded or they are dumped and run wild and how many times you hear someone finding strays coming to their house, garages, to look for shelter and food. And how many times are there pregnant cats?

Over and over.

What also gets me is the ones that say oh, look at the pictures our dog's puppies or cats kittens?
Why didn't they didn't get them fixed.

Did you just hear, I did on the news that tons and tons of animals were picked up neglected and guess what? They are all pregnant and they are now looking for people that will look after them and the puppies afterwards as they will need lots of care. Unreal that is.

And people over and over breeding their pets so they make the money.

Do they even care about those kittens or puppies? Breeding tons and tons harm the puppies and the mother, its not good at all. The more you breed the mother, the more health problems the puppies will have.

Also will you take back those puppies if the people can't care for them? Will you take responsibility for them?

Its about animals not kids.

I agree there are tons of problems with people having kids but this particular subjects is about animals.

Its about animals not kids. I agree 100%.

People need to spay or neuter their pets. Why bring more into the world when thousands of wonderful and adoptable animals are being put to sleep every day.

From the animal friends website: Research shows that a single spay surgery can save 55 unwanted animals from being born. Those are 55 animals who won't wait in shelters...or worse. The only proactive way to reduce and eliminate pet overpopulation is through spay and neuter.

It's not cruel... Jim is just stirring things up again like he does a few times a year.

Just put me on the side of Team Spay & Neuter! Nuff said.

Anyone who has an issue with spaying/neutering, please put some time on your calendar this spring. You can help us volunteer at my neighbor's house, as she fosters the abandoned 5-day-old kittens, sitting up all night feeding them by hand, manually expressing their bladders.

MOST of the dumped animals are not homeless street animals. These are kittens born in 'good homes' who didn't intend to have a litter. Then the momma was kept, while the kittens were abandoned on the doorstep of local vets.

Conversation my vet has had with these 'good pet owners': Owner: Can I get my cat fixed if she just had a litter of kittens?
Vet: No, we won't spay a cat until the kittens are weaned.

one week later, owner shows up with a cat to be spayed.
Vet: Did this cat have kittens?
Owner: yes but they are weaned (when in reality the kittens were deposited mysteriously on another vet's doorstep but it can't be proven)

The people overpopulation versus animal overpopulation is such an odd one. How does it justify not spaying/neutering?

I apologize for not being clear. I am entirely for spay and neutering of pets.

What the bumper sticker refers to is the growing trend of cities/states trying to create sweeping legislation to require mandatory S&N. Which is what I object to. The laws, not the act.

Sorry, the bumper sticker was directed to that part of the equation. This is not an issue to legislate (unenforceable anyway). But the key here is education about responsible pet ownership.

But honestly, as long as spay and neuter surgery cost several hundred dollars, many people can't even afford it. Which is very sad.

I know of some "people" who should have been spayed or neutered....sex offenders and promiscuous women.

For health reasons alone, we have always spayed and neutered all of our pets and always will. Yes, it is costly, but so is raising children costly....and for many of us, our furkids are our children too.

Sushipup, from the experience of helping someone get her cats fixed I discovered that the surgery is not that expensive at spay/neuter clinics, more like $40-50. The incisions are small nowadays and the pet goes home the same day.

The older lady we help is low-income, so she qualified for up to three discount vouchers to give the vet. That paid for most of the cost.

There are also free spay/neuter vans with good volunteer vets that park in different parts of our county to provide this service.

No logical explanation will change the minds of people who are hard-headed, but neutered pets are healthier and safer. Ignore the law and pay the fine which provides money for the shelter to house and euthanize the homeless results of failing to neuter.

I had taken in a 6-yr old Siamese as the dogs were terrorizing her in the home she was in. She had had a litter of kittens at some point.
My other 2 boys are neutered, and I didn't have her for 2 days till she was howling from7 pm to 7am, in heat. My God, I can't imagine anyone even wanting to listen to that on a regular basis!!

I got her fixed and a year later she got ill. I took her in and she had breast cancer and had to be put down. The vet said that the more heats they get, the more prone to breast cancer. So she would have been fine if she was spayed as a young kitten. She was hands-down the most loving cat I've ever had. She didn't deserve this at all!

Why would anyone want the hassle of the noise, and the marking of male cats? They are extremely happy and comforable being neutered. My neutered boys, and spayed female play, race around, and are very loving. They are completely happy.

Spaying and neutering doesn't have to cost 'hundreds' of dollars. I got my kitten spayed at a spay-neuter organization here in the Atlanta area, and I paid about $80, and that included the FIV testing.

IMO why have a pet at all, if you can't afford SN. That's a drop in the bucket of the overall cost of pet ownership.

And a lot cheaper than a litter of kittens or puppies!!!

If someone can't afford to spay or neuter their pet, they shouldn't have one. What will they do if/when the pet has medical problems that require treatment?

If people don't believe pets should be spayed and neutered then they should go to their local animal shelter and look at the number of homeless animals that are put down daily. If they don't want to leave their house to see, go to pet finders ..just type in any breed and see what pops up. As the economy gets worse, more and more pets are going to be turned loose to fend for themselves.

I have worked with a local shelter and luckily we weren't a kill shelter but still so many... Litter after litter just dropped off at the shelter. We also worked a puppy mill, mothers that had been over bred..just horrible the things I saw, all conditions that could have been avoided if the mothers had been properly cared for.

My neighbors dog came in heat a couple of weeks ago and he made the comment that if he saw any males around, he would just kill them. HIS dog better not come up preg. I told him that if HE put up his FEMALE dog then the males might not be able to get to her. I bet she will have a litter of pups..she always does...he needs to be MADE to have her spayed..

Here we don't have cheap s/n clinics a regular spay costs..over $180 and females have to stay overnight. Alot of people don't have that type of money to spend. I will be honest I have a female dog that I "adopted" off the streets. She has been to the vets, she is on heart worm meds, but she isn't spayed. I can't afford it right now. She is in the backyard fenced in and with a neutered Saint Bernard. Nothing bothers Winnie when she is in heat..as soon as I can afford it, she will be at the vets.
Back in Dec, I won a cat spay in an auction. I took our inside kitten in to get her done..ended only costing me $55.

Susan On...you are so right and that's just what I was thinking.

Petaloid said: No logical explanation will change the minds of people who are hard-headed, but neutered pets are healthier and safer. Ignore the law and pay the fine which provides money for the shelter to house and euthanize the homeless results of failing to neuter.

Amen Petaloid! It's simply unbelievable how anyone can be that uninformed and hard-headed. Makes me soooo ANGRY!!!

Spay and neuter clinics make spaying and neutering very affordable. I just had one of my cats spayed yesterday. Cost me $35. If I had been on social security, it would have been $10...which covers the rabies shot.

I work with local shelters because of wildlife rescue, and they all have programs set up...like Fix Felix for Free...which is coming up....free neutering of male cats...as usual, the $10 for rabies shot. My shelter told me they have 25 slots open for that, and aren't planning on sending the shelter cats unless they need some to fill the slots. All the shelters and many of the vet clinics around here do that. They also have a spay day coming up for the females. I have 4 female kittens that will be going to that one.

Here's the sad part, and I don't blame the shelters...they can't do anything but what they do, but people bring in their pets...their food, their toys, bedding, etc. Leave them. They think they will find homes. I only know one local no kill shelter and there is a limit how many animals they can care for. So most of the pets are put down. Their little toys and blankets, thrown in the trash. Their food, thrown in the trash or donated to the wildlife rehabbers.

I wish everyone who ever bought a pet from an individual, or who thinks it's okay to let your animals breed and you will just find homes for them....would just go spend about a week in one of the shelters. If it doesn't break your heart, you are made out of a lot sterner stuff than I am.

And those that say "oh, I've already found homes for all of them" - - - well, what about the new owners of those several puppies or kittens. Will THEY have the new ones spayed or neutered? Even if you find homes for your pets babies, those babies may go on to reproduce. So let's say that your pet has 5 babies and you find homes for them. No problem? Well, let's say that 3 of those babies are neutered and 2 aren't. Those 2 will reproduce. And then continue the equation down the road.

People that think they've got it covered because they find home for all of the babies aren't necessarily right.

Only IGNORANT people do not get their pets spayed or neutered. And I may be stepping on some toes here, but I wonder about the intelligence of people who breed dogs and cats to sell. There are so many unwanted pets in shelters and these people purposely bring more into the world just to make a buck, and it doesn't matter if it is a pedigreed animal or not. Believe me a mixed breed is as good or even better that a so-called pure bred animal.Dottie

You're right, Suzieque, and I try to pass that point along every darn chance I get. If you don't get them neutered yourself, you cannot trust anyone no matter what they tell you.

Dottie, there's more than enough ignorance to go around when it comes to this issue. What is wrong with people anyway?

Summer and I have volunteered at shelters before..it's tough and we didn't last long..just kills your heart. ;(

Dottie I agree with you completely on the second part, but disagree with you on the first part. Ignorant means they simply lack the knowledge. The idiotic comments posted here are from an informed source. There's other terms for that.

People who have pets have a responsibility. But as in life, a lot of people refuse to take or accept responsibility. It's a sad thing that stupidity and arrogance aren't horribly painful.

When our Mama cat moved into our house nearly 30 years ago, she was skinny, mangy, and in defensive protection of her 4 newborn kittens. She had been living in the derelict shed next to the house we bought. It wasn't 2 days before she found us. She took 3 days to move all the kittens into our house. And she was clearly a "dumped" cat. She knew how to behave in a house, use a litter box, and clearly knew what treats came from the opening of a can.

We did find homes for 2 kittens, and we kept Mama cat and the other 2 kittens.

Mama and ALL 4 KITTENS were spayed/neutered before the kittens left our home. They also had all their initial vet care and shots. We viewed that as our minimum responsibility.

While I agree that more legislation is not necessarily the best route, I also realize you can't cure stupid or stubborn. But sometimes stupid or stubborn will respond to obeying the law.