 The Myths vs The Facts
About Spaying & Neutering
MYTH: It's better to have one litter before spaying a female cat.
FACT: Every litter counts.
Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age. Check with your veterinarian about the appropriate time for these procedures.
MYTH: I want my children to experience the miracle of birth.
FACT: The miracle of birth is quickly overshadowed by the thousands of animals euthanized in animal shelters in communities all across the country. Teach children that all life is precious by spaying and neutering your pets.
MYTH: But my pet is a purebred.
FACT: So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats—mixed breed and purebred. About half of all animals entering shelters are euthanized.
MYTH: I want my dog to be protective.
FACT: It is a dog's natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog's personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones.
MYTH: I don't want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.
FACT: Pets don't have any concept of sexual identity or ego. Neutering will not change a pet's basic personality. He doesn't suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered.
MYTH: My pet will get fat and lazy.
FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much and don't give them enough exercise.
MYTH: But my dog (or cat) is so special, I want a puppy (or kitten) just like her.
FACT: Your pet's puppies or kittens have an unlikely chance of being a carbon copy of your pet. Even professional breeders cannot make this guarantee. There are shelter pets waiting for homes who are just as cute, smart, sweet, and loving as your own.
MYTH: It's expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered.
FACT: Many low-cost options exist for spay/neuter services. Most regions of the U.S. have at least one spay/neuter clinic within driving distance that charge $100 or less for the procedure, and many veterinary clinics provide discounts through subsidized voucher programs. Low-cost spay/neuter is more and more widely available all the time.
MYTH: I'll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens.
FACT: You may find homes for your pet's puppies and kittens. But you can only control what decisions you make with your own pet, not the decisions other people make with theirs. Your pet’s puppies and kittens, or their puppies or kittens, could end up in an animal shelter, as one of the many homeless pets in every community competing for a home. Will they be one of the lucky ones?
Myth VS Fact Source: The Humane Society of the United States
The 10 Worst Excuses Not to Spay or Neuter Your Pet
1. Just one litter and then we'll have Fluffy spayed.
*Studies show that virtually the entire pet overpopulation stems from
the "just one litter" mentality.
2. My dog doesn't run loose, so he doesn't need to be fixed.
*Murphy's Law says otherwise.
3. We always find homes for the kittens.
*And that means that an equal number of kittens at the shelter
who don’t have a home will be euthanized.
4. I want the children to witness the miracle of birth.
*RENT A VIDEO.
5. My dog is so cute and unique; there should be more of her.
*The shelters are full of cute and unique dogs, and all need homes.
6. It’s not natural.
*There hasn't been anything "natural" about dogs since we began to
develop breeds thousands of years ago.
7. I just couldn't look my dog in the eye if I had him castrated.
*Watch it, you're anthropomorphizing.
8. A female dog or cat should have at least one litter for health reasons.
*Medically, factually and ethically indefensible.
9. Neutering my dog will make him fat and lazy.
*Too much food and not enough exercise make a dog fat and lazy.
10. Fixing my pet will change its personality.
*The main influences on an animal's personality are the kindness and care
with which it is raised.
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