5 Spot | Holly Sizemore, executive director of No More Homeless Pets in Utah
By Jerre Wroble @JerreWroble
Holly Sizemore, executive director of No More Homeless Pets in Utah, reminds us that Tuesday, Feb. 26, is Spay Day USA.
What does Spay Day USA mean to Utahns?
Hopefully it means that if someone owns an unfixed pet, they will take this opportunity to get it fixed! Many grasp the importance, but if everyone did, we wouldn’t see more than 30,000 cats and dogs euthanized in Utah shelters every year.
Don’t animals have a right to their reproductive organs?
Don’t confuse your own reproductive systems with your pets—pets have no concept of sexual identity or ego. Fixing your pet, however, has many upsides—like eliminating ovarian, uterine and testicular cancers. You also don’t have to “get rid” of a bunch of puppies or kittens. Fixing your pet reduces aggression, house soiling, roaming, yowling … the list goes on and on.
How many offspring does an unspayed cat produce over a lifetime?
Way too many. Cats can go into heat as young as four months. Two litters per year, 4.5 average litter size, yucky math. Approximately 20,000 of the 30,000 animals killed each year are cats, so the cat problem is huge.
Are spay/neuter programs helping reduce the numbers of animals that shelters have to kill?
Fifteen thousand fewer cats and dogs were euthanized in 2007 compared to 1999. That’s the great news, but sadly, we have a long way to go.
Any Spay Day USA specials to lure the unfixed in?
We have terrific discount specials to honor Spay Day USA. For instance, get your tomcat fixed for $10. We also serve Utah with ongoing spay/neuter programs including the Feral Fix, Free Fix and Big Fix. Check out UtahPets.org
More by Jerre Wroble
-
Donate to City Weekly and keep Salt Lake's local news free, independent and punchy
Opinion
- Dec 20, 2023
-
Utah Shakespeare: So Much Drama
Recapping a visit to Cedar City
- Sep 4, 2023
- More »
Latest in 5 Spot
