February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, and the City of Chico Animal Services would like to stress the importance of spaying and neutering your pet, or the neighborhood cat.
It is estimated that over 4 million animals are euthanized in shelters each year. Many of them are puppies and kittens who are euthanized simply because there are not enough homes for all of them. Just one cat can have three litters a year, and in seven years, she and her offspring can produce a staggering 420,000 cats. One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in that same time period. Spaying and neutering is a permanent, safe, and 100-percent effective method of birth control.
Besides preventing the birth of unwanted litters, spaying and neutering can have physical and behavioral benefits. Females will no longer go into heat, or develop uterine infections later in life. Spaying also decreases the risk of mammary tumors in females. Males are less likely to fight, roam, and develop certain types of cancers. For male cats neutering eliminates spraying and foul smelling urine, and noisy cat fights. Spaying/neutering reduces aggression, but does not decrease a dog’s ability to be protective. An unneutered dog is 2.6 times more likely to bite than a dog that has been spayed or neutered.
Paws of Chico and Valley Oak Veterinary Center will honor World Spay Day with a low-cost cat spay/neuter clinic on Saturday, February 23rd. Valley Oak will spay/neuter a total of 100 eligible cats for $20 each. To apply, contact PAWS at 895-8510 or get an application at chicospayneuter.org or at the Chico Animal Shelter. PAWS provides low-cost vouchers throughout the year to help people with the cost of spay/neuter for their pets.
Pawprints Thrift Store is another Chico organization that helps people with the cost of spay/neuter for their pets. The thrift store is located at 1346 Longfellow Ave or contact them at 895-1791. Butte Humane Society runs a low-cost spay neuter clinic in Chico. For more information they can be reached at 343-7917. PAWS Mike Chestnut Spay/Neuter Clinic, located in Oroville, also provides low-cost spay neuter. Their phone number is 534-0900.
The Chico Animal Shelter is located at 2579 fair St. in Chico, and can be reached at 894-5630. The shelter opens every day at 12 Noon and is open until 6:00 PM, Monday and Thursday until 7:00 PM. Visit their website at www.chicoanimalshelter.org.
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