Thank you for printing the article on the stray and feral cat overpopulation. Please spay or neuter your pets! When I discuss this issue with friends, two recurring objections are often mentioned: that the pet owner doesn’t have enough money for the procedure, and that spaying and neutering is “unnatural.” As to the first obstacle, I urge those with limited funds to contact their veterinarians or local animal shelters for information on reduced-cost procedures. Concerning the second objection, the pet overpopulation crisis demonstrates that a “natural” state resulting in uncontrolled reproduction causes untold suffering. Cancer and arsenic are also natural yet not desirable.
In addition, spaying and neutering have many positive health and behavioral consequences, including the reduction of aggression and territory-marking behavior in males, and the cessation of estrus (“going into heat”), reduction of breast cancer and removal of the possibility for uterine cancer for females.
Spaying and neutering is truly one of the most humane things a person can do for his or her pet, and for the animal world at large.
