Patty was left behind when her owners moved. Unfortunately the owners did not take the step of spaying Patty or placing her into a new home leading to eleven offspring that we are aware of in under one year. Due to the fact that Patty had three litters in under one year three kittens did not survive her last delivery. The only surviving female of her first litter started reproducing at six months of age.
In a short time the female descendent of Patty's first litter and her toddlers started displaying feral cat behavior. Since they are so young we will be able to rehabilitate them to be wonderful loving companions. This is usually not the case in dealing with feral cats.
Every feral cat is a descendent of an unaltered domesticated cat, continuing the ongoing problem of the homeless pet population. Feral cats are hard to humanely trap and breed tremendously fast. Feral cats often times do not receive any type of health care and treatment.
The overpopulation of homeless pets would be resolved if pet owners would take the step of spaying or neutering their own pets. Medical evidence shows that altered pets female and male are typically healthier than unaltered pets. Altered pets have less risk of reproductive cancer, it will help eliminate territory marking, and a pet will not display behavior problems due to coming into a heat cycle.
Often times good people allow their pets to have litters with the thought that kittens and puppies are easy to find homes for. Have you ever thought about what happens to the kittens and puppies once they become adults? Did you know more than three million pets are euthanized every year in shelters? One out of four animals that come into the shelters are pure bred pets. Almost every unwanted pet that is euthanized would have made a great companion pet.
Please before you allow a pet to have a litter of kittens or puppies visit a local shelter. This is where the puppies and kittens will eventually end up.
All statistics are produced by the Humane Society.
For more information on spaying and neutering your pet please visit:
www.hsus.org
Patty
Below is an example of how fast unaltered pets breed. These kittens were all born in under one year. An average litter can range four to six kittens. and three heat cycles to each year. With Patty and her descendents seen below, in one year would have produced at minimum 132 offspring.
Please spay and neuter your pets!
