February Is National Pet Spay & Neuter Month!

16th Annual Spay Day USA!

The Feline Network for the Central Coast has joined the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), in celebrating Spay Day 2010 during the month of February.

More than four million pets are put to death in the United States shelters each year.  That’s one every eight seconds.  Spay Day USA is America’s first and ONLY national month of action to promote the spaying and neutering of pets.  During Spay Day USA, veterinarians and their staff, animal welfare professionals, business owners, and concerned citizens join forces nationwide to spay or neuter as many animals as possible, and to promote spay/neuter as an essential component of good pet health care, in addition to being an effective and humane means of decreasing the euthanasia of homeless animals in shelters. 

“February is a key month in the breeding cycles of many cats and dogs”, states Debby Holt, Feline Network board member.  “Most cats and dogs come into their first heat (breeding period) in the month of February and can become pregnant”, said Holt.  “This is why it is important for pet owners to take action and get their pets spayed or neutered before they have an unwanted litter of puppies or kittens to care for.”

The Feline Network of the Central Coast has information on local veterinarians and organizations who are participating in Spay Day USA!.  To get a list of participating local veterinary clinics and information on possible spay/neuter financial assistance, contact the Feline Network at 549-9228 ext 706. 

The Department of Animal Services (DAS) will offer $20 spay/neuter certificates available in the month of February, to help with the cost of spaying or neutering your pets.  For more information please call DAS in SLO 781-4400, in Oceano 473-7100 or in Templeton 434-4290.
 
About Feline Network of the Central Coast:  The Feline Network is a non-profit humane organization established to reduce cat overpopulation through spaying/neutering and public education and to rescue homeless cats and kittens and place them in permanent homes. The Feline Network is an all-volunteer organization that works with local veterinarians who generously donate their time and provide medical services at discounted fees. 
Most every Saturday you can find the Feline

Network at PETCO at the Madonna Plaza in San Luis Obispo, hosting their weekly Adopt-a-Cat Event, from 11am to 4pm.
For information on the Spay Day USA, adoptions, help with feral cats, free semi-tame mousers or to volunteer or to donate, please contact us at 549-9228 or online at www.felinenetwork.org.  

Information on Spay Day USA: Spay Day is an annual nation wide campaign to reduce pet overpopulation.  Created by the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) in 1995, Spay Day USA became a program of the HSUS when DDAL combined operations with the HSUS in 2006.
During Spay Day USA’s first fourteen years, participants spayed or neutered more than 1,418,500 animals!  When you consider how prolific animals are, and that the average cost for shelters to each homeless animal is $176, it is clear that Spay Day USA participants have, potentially, prevented millions of surplus births and saved millions of taxpayers’ dollars.    http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/spay_day