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Kaley Schnell

English 0097

Mrs. Green

November 11, 2022

The Future of Cats And Dogs

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“Approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide

every year. Of these shelters, approximately 3.1 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats.”

(ASPCA). To resolve this issue, millions of homeless dogs and cats go to a homeless shelter

every year; We need to regulate dogs and cats getting neutered and spayed. There is a high

percentage of cats and dogs being neutered and spayed, approximately 70-80 percent; Still, there

are millions of homeless and sheltered animals. The goal is to have all cats and dogs

neutered/spad unless you are a registered breeder. Getting dogs and cats fixed will reduce

homeless dogs and cats. However, we should reduce overpopulation, animal shelters, and being

put down.

Getting your animals neutered can be extremely expensive for people; Ranging from

$50-$500. As stated by The Zebra (pet ownership); “25.4% of households in the United States

own cats. There's about one cat or dog for every 2.4 people. Poverty rates in 2021 were 11.6

percent, with 37.9 million people in poverty.” Millions of people can not afford to spend

$50-$500 on their animal and are unfair to make them pay. Another reason not to spad/neuter is

because many people believe that spaying or neutering will change their pet’s personality.

Another concern is pet owners get confused about the proper age to spay or neuter their pet,

“resulting in not wanting to do to spay-neuter due to lack of knowledge.” A spay-neuter can

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increase the risk of joint disorders and certain cancers; which is a concerning risk for animals

they love. All of these points seem like reasonable reasons not to spad-neuter your pet. But what

if they also have a positive outcome as well?

When cost is an issue with over reproduction of cats and dogs there is a couple of

resolutions. Solving the issues makes people understand it is a one-time procedure. If you have

enough to buy a pet and its necessities, make it a priority to stop unwanted reproduction. The

reproduction will cost more than having a singular pet to begin with. If you got your pet for free

and feel like you should not pay for it because of your finances, are you actually a suitable

animal owner with a lack of resources for a healthy pet? As for spaying or neutering, It will

change the personality of the pet. According to Petmeds, author Erin states that “Altering your

pet can actually have a positive impact on your pet’s behavior as it reduces aggression, the desire

to roam, and spraying or marking behavior.” If you spay or neuter your pet before reaching

sexual maturity, you can reduce the risk of mammary or prostate diseases, and prevent uterine,

ovarian, or testicular cancer in your pet. While some parents want their children to witness the

“miracle of birth,” responsible pet ownership can be a much more valuable lesson to teach your

children. There are many positives to spading-neutering your pet.

The goal is to have fewer homeless dogs and cats as well as reduce overpopulation issues,

fewer animals in shelters as well as less mortality rates. As stated by North Shore Animal

Leagues “As less desire to roam, therefore less likely to be injured in fights or auto accidents.

The risk of testicular cancer is eliminated and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.

However, it also reduces the number of unwanted cats/kittens/dogs/puppies. It also decreases

aggressive behavior, including dog bites.” There are benefits for each gender as well as for

females, no heat cycles, therefore males will not be attached, and less likely to desire to roam,
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risk of mammary gland tumors, ovarian and/or uterine cancer is reduced or eliminated, especially

if done before the first heat cycle. The number of unwanted cats/kittens/dogs/puppies, helps dogs

and cats live longer, healthier lives. For male pets, eliminating the risk of spraying and marking

will therefore decrease fights or auto accidents, and the chance of an injured dog/cat.

In addition to the importance of stopping the overpopulation issues of unwanted pets

needs to be controlled. The benefits of fixing your pet are more than the negatives. For the health

of your pet, it's correctly stated by Humansocity. “The average lifespan of spayed and neutered

cats and dogs is demonstrably longer than the lifespan of those not. A University of Georgia

study stated, “Based on the medical records of more than 70,000 animal patients, found that the

life expectancy of neutered male dogs was 13.8% longer and that of spayed female dogs was

26.3% longer. The average age of death of intact dogs was 7.9 years versus a significantly older

9.4 years for altered dogs.” Also talked about by the Humansocity “These are the best general

recommendations that can be drawn from a thorough analysis of research currently available: cat

owners should have them be altered before they are 5 months old as they can become pregnant at

4 months of age and older. Owned female dogs should be spayed before they are 5 months old.

Small, medium and large breed male dogs should be neutered before they are 5 months old.

Owned giant breed male dogs who are house pets should be neutered after growth stops, between

12 to 15 months of age due to orthopedic concerns. Owned giant breed male dogs who roam

freely should be neutered before they are 5 months old due to the population concerns of

unintended breeding. Sheltered animals should be altered prior to adoption—ideally, as early as 6

weeks old; however, some states may require waiting until the animals are 8 weeks old.

Community cats should be altered via TNR (trap-neuter-return) at any age after 6 weeks old,

although, some states may require waiting until the kittens are at least 8 weeks old. There's lots
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of valuable information about the health and life expectancy of your pet, and why your pet

should be spayed/neutered and informed to a vet.

There is tons of information on the health and spading and neutering progress for your

pet online as a resource for issues pet owner face such as cost. As stated by Humansoicty “When

you consider the potential long-term medical costs incurred for an unaltered pet, the savings

afforded by spay/neuter are clear, especially given the plethora of low-cost spay/neuter clinics

now available. Caring for a pet with reproductive system cancer or pyometra can easily run

thousands of dollars—five to 10 times as much as a routine spay or neuter surgery. In cases

where intact dogs and cats may fight, treatment of their related injuries can also result in high

veterinary costs.” (Meredith Lee). For the issue of behavior with certain pets, there are resources

such as playing with a toy, practicing cues, or ensuring your cat has its own territory. Lastly, do

not rely on treats to get the behavior you want. To come back to the idea of not knowing the sex,

doing research on your pet has the most benefit for its breeds/sex health concerns. In conclusion,

the restriction of people to choose whether or not their animal gets spayed-neutered will not be a

choice but a requirement.

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References

Pet ownership statistics in 2022 | the zebra. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2022, from

https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/pet-ownership-statistics/

Creamer, J. (2022, September 13). Poverty in the United States: 2021. Census.gov.

Retrieved November 19, 2022, from

https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/demo/p60-277.html

Pet statistics. ASPCA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2022, from

https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics

Erin. (2012, June 10). Reasons people don't spay or neuter their pets: Petmeds Cares™.

1-800-PetMeds Cares™. Retrieved November 19, 2022, from

https://www.petmeds.org/petmeds-spotlight/reasons-people-dont-spay-or-neuter-their-pets/

Robins, M. (2020, September 17). Should you always spay-neuter your dog? American

Kennel Club. Retrieved November 19, 2022, from

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/is-spaying-neutering-always-the-best-choice/
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Benefits of spaying or neutering pets: Spayusa. Animal League. (2018, July 26). Retrieved

November 19, 2022, from

https://www.animalleague.org/get-involved/spay-usa/benefits-spaying-or-neutering-pets/

Why you should spay/neuter your pet. The Humane Society of the United States. (n.d.).

Retrieved November 19, 2022, from

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/why-you-should-spayneuter-your-pet