Truth: There is no medical evidence to justify allowing a dog or cat to have a litter before spaying. In fact, spaying female dogs and cats eliminates the possibility of developing uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the threat of mammary cancer.

Truth:  Animals become overweight only when they are fed too much and not exercised properly.  Spaying or neutering your pet does not adversely effect weight.

Truth: The only changes in dog and cat behavior after spaying or neutering are positive changes.  Male cats tend to reduce territorial spraying, depending on their age at neutering. Neutered dogs and cats fight less, resulting in fewer bite and scratch wounds and lessening the spread of contagious diseases.  Male dogs and cats tend to stay home more after neutering because they no longer wander in search of a mate.

Truth: Surgical sterilization is performed under general anesthesia by a doctor of veterinary medicine. The procedure itself is not felt by the patient.  There may be mild discomfort after the surgery, but most animals return to normal activity within 24 to 72 hours. 

Truth: Most dogs and cats have their litters at night in quiet, dark places far out of anyone’s sight.  Your local shelter may have a pregnant dog or cat that you could temporarily foster instead.  You can save many lives by not adding to the thousands of unwanted puppies and kittens born.

Truth: Unaltered males are highly motivated to seek out females in heat.  They will climb, dig and jump to complete their mission to impregnate a female.

Truth: Pets do not have any concept of ego or sexual identity and do not have sex for pleasure, their mission is to procreate and produce puppies and kittens. However, your male dog will be less likely to roam away from home. An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate, including finding creative ways to escape from the house. Once he’s free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other male animals.

Unaltered female cats usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they’ll yowl and urinate more frequently. Spayed female pets don’t go into heat. Spay/neuter operations will help curb these behaviors and keep your pet at home.

Cats can have their first heat cycle as young as 4 months old, and dogs can have their first heat cycle as young as 5-6 months old.

In just seven years, one pair of unspayed/unneutered cats and their offspring can produce 420,000 cats.

In just six years, one pair of unspayed/unneutered dogs and their offspring can produce 67,000 dogs.

Cats can have up to 3 litters per year, with an average of 4-6 kittens per litter; and dogs can have up to 2 litters per year, with an average of 6-10 puppies per litter.

Cats and dogs will breed​ with their littermates and other relatives, even their parents – they do not understand familial relationships like humans do.

Unneutered males (usually dogs) will travel up to FOU​R MILES away on the scent of a female in heat – they have a higher tendency to come into shelters as strays due to breaking out of their homes and yards, attempting to locate the unspayed female, and sadly they are also hit by cars at a higher rate.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, our pets can get away from us. If your pet is fixed, you don’t have to worry about it becoming pregnant or causing an unwanted litter (which you might not even be aware of!)

If your pet is fixed, you also don’t have to worry about your dog or cat attracting unaltered animals seeking a mate, when they are in your yard or when out for a walk.