B.C.

Photo: Contributed

Kittens abandoned at the Vernon SPCA on Aug. 17 2011. The  3-month old kittens were left in the heat and were very dehydrated. All recovered and have been adopted to their forever homes. 

In the words of Bob Barker, help control the pet population this February as it's  Spay/Neuter Awareness Month.

During February the BC SPCA is highlighting the benefits of spaying and neutering pets.

Lorie Chortyk, the general manager of community relations for the BC SPCA, says every year many more animals are born in BC than there are homes for.

"The SPCA and other rescue groups find homes for thousands of these abandoned or surrendered animals every year, but we know that there are so many more who suffer and die after being abandoned by their guardians. It is heartbreaking because this is a completely preventable problem.”

She notes that in 2011 the BC SPCA’s 37 branches took in more than 32,000 abandoned, neglected, injured and abused animals.

"We find with many pet guardians, love their pets, but they don't realize that by not having them spayed or neutered they may be impacting their pet's quality of life."

Some of the benefits of spaying and neutering include:

• Decreased aggression. Neutering generally reduces aggressive behaviours in pets.  
• Calmer, happier pets. Female cats go in and out of heat every three weeks between January and November. 
• Increased health. Spaying or neutering your pet reduces the likelihood of them developing uterine, ovarian and testicular cancers.
• Good overall pet care. Having your pet sterilized also provides an opportunity to have other important health procedures performed, as necessary, such as teeth cleaning.
•  It is also the perfect time to get an identification tattoo or microchip. In BC SPCA shelters, only 11 percent of cats are returned to their guardians from an animal shelter mainly because they lack identification compared to a return rate for dogs of 65 percent.

For those who are concerned about the cost of spay or neutering, certain SPCA shelters provide assistance to low-income pet guardians and many communities have low-cost spay/neuter funds administered through the local government.

Chortyk says last year the BC SPCA spent more than $2 million on spay/neuter programs in communities across the province.

"As part of its commitment to ending pet overpopulation the SPCA sterilizes every dog, cat and rabbit prior to adoption."