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Humane Society reports more strays, urges spaying of pets
Shannon Hurley
Issue date: 12/10/07 Section: News
"If we are going to make a difference we have to make it so people can afford to get their pets spayed or neutered," said Sarah Swanty, president of Fort Collins Cat Rescue.
Swanty's founding partner, Anna Neubauer, now devotes her time to the rescue's low-cost spay and neuter clinic, serving both cats and dogs with the help of volunteers.
"We can shelter as many animals as we want to but that's not really getting to the problem," explained Neubauer, president of Fort Collins Spay-Neuter, adding, "we thought by opening a spay-neuter clinic we could really help get to the source of the problem and be part of the solution."
By providing surgeries at minimal costs to local pet owners, the clinic hopes to educate the community about the benefits spaying or neutering can have for both the pet's and owner's way-of-life.
Sarah Kormos, a junior landscape architecture major recently adopted an altered kitten. "I only paid the adoption fee at Fort Collins Cat Rescue, which was $90. It included his neuter. I think it was worth it," said Kormos. The cost was outweighed by the advantages the surgery provided to her 5-month-old domestic cat Stroud.
Altering a pet will "increase their life expectancy, decrease certain health risks that are associated with reproductive issues, make them a better pet [because they are] less likely to wander, and are less likely to be aggressive to others," explained Neubauer.
And cats who are not spayed or neutered "will have a much higher tendency to want to go outside because they have the urge to breed," said Swanty.
Understanding the benefits of spaying or neutering and the implications of just one unaltered animal in the pet population will better ensure the safety and protection of Colorado's domestic animals. Unfortunately, not everyone is educated about the problem.
"When people think about pet overpopulation a lot of times it's something they have to see to absorb," said Rentola, "we still have an incredible amount of work ahead of us."
Swanty's founding partner, Anna Neubauer, now devotes her time to the rescue's low-cost spay and neuter clinic, serving both cats and dogs with the help of volunteers.
"We can shelter as many animals as we want to but that's not really getting to the problem," explained Neubauer, president of Fort Collins Spay-Neuter, adding, "we thought by opening a spay-neuter clinic we could really help get to the source of the problem and be part of the solution."
By providing surgeries at minimal costs to local pet owners, the clinic hopes to educate the community about the benefits spaying or neutering can have for both the pet's and owner's way-of-life.
Sarah Kormos, a junior landscape architecture major recently adopted an altered kitten. "I only paid the adoption fee at Fort Collins Cat Rescue, which was $90. It included his neuter. I think it was worth it," said Kormos. The cost was outweighed by the advantages the surgery provided to her 5-month-old domestic cat Stroud.
Altering a pet will "increase their life expectancy, decrease certain health risks that are associated with reproductive issues, make them a better pet [because they are] less likely to wander, and are less likely to be aggressive to others," explained Neubauer.
And cats who are not spayed or neutered "will have a much higher tendency to want to go outside because they have the urge to breed," said Swanty.
Understanding the benefits of spaying or neutering and the implications of just one unaltered animal in the pet population will better ensure the safety and protection of Colorado's domestic animals. Unfortunately, not everyone is educated about the problem.
"When people think about pet overpopulation a lot of times it's something they have to see to absorb," said Rentola, "we still have an incredible amount of work ahead of us."
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