Please think about that ..
It is a well-known fact that there are many more cats and dogs than there are people ready to adopt them. Unfortunately shelters have to kill animals within a short period of time if they can’t find new owners. A sad story. Though there are some no-kill shelters and many pet-loving people that care for abandoned or stray animals, sometimes spending a large part of their income in rescuing and feeding them, the cat and dog population is growing. As an eye-opener for all of us, but even more for people who don’t spay or neuter their animals, let them roam outside, or abandon animals (especially non-neutered/spayed ones) look at this statistic:
Within the US, an estimated 57 million cats and 53 million dogs live with families.
One female cat and her offspring can produce 430,000 cats within 7 years.
One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in 6 years.
For every human born 7 puppies and kittens are born.
Yearly over 12 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters.
About 25% of dogs entering a shelter are purebreds.
About 65% of all dogs in a shelter are killed.
About 74% of all cats in a shelter are killed.
The cost to capture, feed, house and eventually euthanize a stray animal adds up to approximately $120.00 and is paid by us taxpayers.
Our plea:
If you want a dog or puppy – try shelters first. As you can see, chances to even get a purebred are high!
Make sure you are aware of that a dog and a cat cost money! There are besides feeding cost the expenses for vaccinations, examinations, costs for eventual injury treatments, toys, bedding, and more.
When you adopt or buy an animal buy the very inexpensive health insurance at the same time. Many dogs and cats need to be euthanized because the owner cannot afford vet bills that can reach a staggering $5,000 and more. See our article about pet insurance! More details about pet insurance and the monthly costs at our sistersite >> PetStuffReviews .
Make sure that you can keep the animal in case you have to move. If you are a tenant and looking for a new home, please do keep your pet in mind. A pet is not a toy to be discharged. It’s a family member, you would not leave your kids behind – would you?
Don’t breed your animals just because your dog or cat is so “cute”. Unless you have already future owners lined up, don’t do it. You might end up with a number of puppies or kittens that you then can’t keep yourself.
If you allow your dogs to be outside unsupervised, please spay/neuter them. A male dog will jump your fence or dig a hole to get out if he smells a female in heat. A female in heat will drive the neighborhood crazy – and the male dogs. Either keep your animals supervised all the time, or – please – neuter/spay them to avoid more puppies that end up in shelters and might get killed.
More about neutering - see our >> article about neutering.
The same for cats. If you have strictly indoor cats, neutering/spaying is not absolutely necessary. If your cats are outdoors – please neuter/spay them.
