![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/karens-kitties-013-300x225.jpg\")
As cute as they are, we really must do our part to prevent unwanted litters of kittens. For years, it\u2019s been drilled into us\u2014spay-neuter. We\u2019ve been told, there are millions of homeless cats and warned not to add to the problem. Spay-neuter\u2014that\u2019s the answer.<\/p>\n
When I first began hearing this some forty or fifty years ago, I didn\u2019t know there was a question or a problem. And, yes, I was still allowing my cats to have a litter before spaying them. I was what I considered a responsible owner by finding good homes for each and every kitten. But we can do more.<\/p>\n
We can prevent litters. We can adopt\/rescue instead of buying from a breeder. We can And here\u2019s a site with some shocking statistics. https:\/\/www.dosomething.org\/facts\/11-facts-about-animal-homelessness<\/a> Here you\u2019ll learn that homeless pets outnumber homeless people 5 to 1. And what about this eye-opening statement\u2026over 2.7 million cats and dogs are killed each year because there\u2019s no room at the inn (or your home or shelters). And do you know how many animal shelters there are in the United States? About 3,500 PLUS an unknown number of unregistered sheltering and fostering groups and individuals.<\/p>\n That\u2019s seven things you can do to help helpless cats and dogs. Some of you are already doing many of the things on this list. Would love to hear from those of you who are. Tell us how you\u2019re helping or how you plan to help this spring. Also, I invite you to add to this list of things we can do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As cute as they are, we really must do our part to prevent unwanted litters of kittens. For years, it\u2019s been drilled into us\u2014spay-neuter. We\u2019ve been told, there are millions of homeless cats and warned not to add to the … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/karens-kitties-021-300x225.jpg\")
donate to and volunteer at local no-kill shelters. And we can continue to educate ourselves about why we\u2019re doing all of this. Here\u2019s a site that breaks down the number of cats and dogs in the US and how many of them wind up in shelters. https:\/\/www.aspca.org\/animal-homelessness\/shelter-intake-and-surrender\/pet-statistics<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/lillyday4-014-300x225.jpg\")
This spring, if you haven\u2019t done so already, have your cat spayed-neutered. Since you\u2019re following this blog, I\u2019m pretty sure you\u2019re already a responsible pet owner and you\u2019re doing your part by rescuing pets and taking proper care of them. So let\u2019s\u2014you and I\u2014take this a step farther and help someone else become a responsible pet owner.<\/p>\n\n