Be Kind to Pets: Prevent Overpopulation

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It would seem that domesticated pets get to live the life of Riley. They’re fed regular meals, get to sleep most of the day, and then have happy pet parents waiting to give them love and affection. Unfortunately for many would-be pets, they don’t get to share in this happy home scenario.

The chief reason for that is the overpopulation problem pertaining to cats and dogs throughout the country. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) estimates between three and four million cats and dogs are euthanized each year, which translates to nearly 10,000 cats and dogs being prematurely put to rest every day. That pushes the problem to epidemic levels.

Part of the problem in addressing overpopulation is a failure of pet lovers to realize just how damaging it can be, and how quickly things can get out of hand. Consider the following: in just six years, a female dog and her offspring can give birth to 67,000 puppies. That means that unless your dog is already spayed, she could become the matriarch of a family that will be 67,000 strong by 2012. The numbers are even more staggering for cats, as one cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens within the next seven years.

While many people will truthfully admit to being dutiful pet owners and pet lovers, the very fact that one cat can see its lineage increase by nearly half a million in just seven years is an eye-opening prospect, one that may result in euthanization for many of those kittens.

But what to do? A mountain of misinformation exists that forces many people to see spaying or neutering as inhumane when in reality it’s the most humane thing to do, lest a situation arise where animals are born solely to end up euthanized.

The HSUS points to legislation and education as an effective means for curing the overpopulation problem. Some legislation has already been enacted to do just that. For instance, spaying and neutering fees are often expensive, leaving less incentive for pet owners to spay or neuter pets or their offspring, which in turn leads to more animals being euthanized. However, in communities where spay/neuter programs have been subsidized (hence lowering the costs), the number of animals euthanized has declined sharply. If your community has yet to pass such legislation, pushing for it is a good idea.

Additional legislation can be passed as well that could greatly reduce the number of animals that are put down each year. For example, raising the licensing fee for animals that are not spayed or neutered is a good way to encourage pet owners to sterilize their pets. In lieu of plucking at the heart strings with tales of euthanized animals, such legislation would instead pluck at the purse strings, something that would likely grab more attention.

What’s more, many animal shelters mandate that adopted animals must be spayed or neutered prior to leaving the facility. This ensures that any adopted animals will not contribute to the overpopulation problem.

But as much as legislation is necessary, in the meantime the best thing pet owners can do is to spay or neuter their pets and adopt those pets from a shelter. Such actions are a key step in reducing overpopulation and ensuring a future where all pets can spend some quality time at your feet on the couch or lounging around in the backyard on a lazy summer day.