Spay and Neuter: It's the Kind Thing to Do

Greetings, everyone!

It's that time of the year, when Mother Nature encourages all creatures to ensure their survival and procreate. Our yard is an explosion of all things green and natural. The flowers are flowering, the pollen is flowing and I feel privileged to have a cardinal nesting in a thicket in the back yard. This morning, I saw a mother duck with her six waddling little ducklings march to the waterside, and then sail away to safety of the far side of our creek. I love this time of the year, aside from one thing — "Kitten Season."
  
This may sound like a heartless statement, but to the workers and volunteers at your local animal shelter it is a "four letter word." Don't get me wrong, we love these little cuddly balls of fur. Nothing is more entertaining than watching a litter of kittens playing together. We have a very busy group of foster homes bottle feeding and raising orphan kittens. 

Simply put, we do the best we can to find homes, but the unfortunate truth is there just are not enough forever homes for the numbers of kittens born each year. Kittens born in the wild that are not lucky enough to get into a shelter or foster program are destine to a life of suffering.

Our group (as do others) has several programs focusing on the feral cat population, but before these cats were feral that had to come from somewhere, or more plainly someone. Someone who did not neuter or spay their pet. That one pet becomes thousands in the generations ahead.

Alas, it's not hopeless. You, can help. It's easy, just neuter or spay your pet. When you neuter or spay your pet you will help them to live a healthier, less stressful life. You get the additional benefit of knowing you are making a difference in your community, by helping to stop needless suffering of unwanted animals.

Want to do more? Educate a child (they are the future), a friend, or heck, tell anyone you can of the importance of neutering pets. Think of it like this — you tell two friends, and they tell two friends and so on and so on...

It's within our reach, we can make a difference!

In our economic times, many of us need a little help. You may qualify for low cost neutering:

Statewide:

ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL LOW-COST SPAYING/NEUTERING PROGRAM:
  
This is a state program is available for the pets of low income families or for pets adopted from shelters and some rescue groups. 

My thoughts... Funds are appropriated quarterly, so I bet the best time to qualify is the first month of any given quarter.

Ocean County:

The Volunteer Auxiliary For Animal Shelters, Inc., in cooperation with the Ocean County Animal Facility and Jersey Shore Animal Center will be sponsoring three low-cost spay clinics over the next five months. Ocean County residents can call the Ocean County Animal Facility at 732-657-8086 to make an appointment. The clinics are held at the Communnity Center in Lakehurst, 207 Center St. We will start making appointments for qualified applicants the last week of May for the next clinic, June 20.

Visit us:

Saturday, May 21:

Our Mobile Adoption Unit will be at the ShopRite on County Line Road in Jackson  for the Second Annual Pet Event from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. We will be accepting pet food donations and have animals available for adoption. Come and find your new best friend!

Remember,

"Paws" for Life, and Live!