During the month of April, Nevada Humane Society is offering free spay and neuter surgeries, plus free rabies vaccinations as part of Community Cats, PetSmart Charities’ spay/neuter campaign to alter free-roaming cats.
If left unaltered, unowned feral and stray cats produce large quantities of unwanted kittens each spring, flooding local animal shelters and leading to higher euthanasia rates. Nevada Humane Society said taking a proactive approach and getting the cats fixed now will lessen the impact of the coming kitten season.
Spaying and neutering is one of the most effective ways to reduce the homeless pet population and is safe for kittens as young as eight to 10 weeks old, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Spaying a female cat before the first heat cycle can be beneficial, improving the health of the cat by reducing the risk of certain reproductive cancers and infections.
“Female cats can have as many as three litters a year, and kittens can breed as young as four months old,” said Kimberly Wade, senior manager of communications and events for Nevada Humane Society. “Most people don’t want to see the cats they’re feeding get pregnant over and over again, so our Community Cats campaign will serve as a gentle reminder to caretakers of free-roaming cat colonies to catch and sterilize their cats.”
The free services are available to all residents of Washoe County and Carson City. Residents feeding free-roaming cats who wish to take advantage of this offer must mention the Community Cat campaign when scheduling their appointment. Appointments are based on availability.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 775-856-2000, ext. 333. For more information about Nevada Humane Society, go to www.NevadaHumaneSociety.org.
PetSmart Charities’ Community Cats campaign will provide $648,293 to spay/neuter clinics across the United States to fund affordable, high-quality spay and neuter surgeries for more than 13,820 free-roaming cats during the month of April.