World Spay Day: Animal charity urges pet neutering as kitten numbers continue to rise

Hi everyone,

While we all are certainly in agreement that kittens are adorable and we all love a photo or two of cute and cuddly kittens it’s becoming an increasing problem  that charities not just in the UK but all around the world end up with more and more unwanted kittens in their care.

Therefore we are helping one of our charities here in the UK to push out an important message this World Spay Day.

Blue Cross is sending out a plea for all pet owners to neuter their cats this World Spay Day as it records a surging number of unwanted kittens being brought into its care year after year.

In 2016, animal charity Blue Cross recorded 1,519 kittens being admitted for rehoming – a steady increase over the past five years; in 2011, they admitted 1,409 kittens. Of the 1,519 kittens in 2016, almost 40 per cent were brought in as strays or were found abandoned.

Though, it’s not just kittens, Blue Cross also recorded 168 puppies being brought in to be rehomed in 2016, with almost 10 per cent being stray or abandoned.

Neutering is the process of removing the reproductive organs of an animal through surgery so they cannot produce offspring, with females it’s called spaying and with males, castration. This year, vets at the Blue Cross animal hospitals carried out 1,387 spays and 1,546 castrations.

Alison Thomas, Senior Veterinary Surgeon at Blue Cross Victoria animal hospital says: “Spay and castration surgeries are the most common type of procedure at the Blue Cross Victoria hospital. Whilst the numbers are still rising, we’re thankfully seeing more and more pet owners bringing their animals in to us for neutering, but there is still a way to go. At Blue Cross, we offer free neutering to pets belonging to eligible owners, but of course we do very much depend on donations from our clients to help provide this service. We implore pet owners to register with us if eligible and help us keep unwanted kitten and puppy numbers under control. Please see our website for details of eligibility criteria.

“As gorgeous as kittens and puppies are, it’s heart-breaking when we have boxes of them being brought in or dumped in the street as they’ve got nowhere to go. When we have strays brought in, often they’re in poor health and need a lot of care and medication.”

024-abandoned-kittens-photo-credit-to-swns
Photocredit: SWNS

Already in January 2017, Blue Cross recorded almost 450 cats being brought in for rehoming; almost 10% of these were kittens and half of these kittens were abandoned or strays.

To find out more about neutering, or to make a donation to Blue Cross, visit www.bluecross.org.uk or contact your local centre.

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28 thoughts on “World Spay Day: Animal charity urges pet neutering as kitten numbers continue to rise

  1. Pingback: World Spay Day: Animal charity urges pet neutering as kitten numbers continue to rise | Yonni's Wacky Workshop

  2. franhunne4u says:

    It’s so easily avoidable, all that cat pain and sorrow. I got my cats from a cat shelter – and they only hand out neutered cats. I just lost my FunTom (yesterday) and the next cat I will get for my Kessy (she is a very sociable cat) will be another neutered one from a cat shelter! I can only take one of their hands, but naturally I am not even thinking of going to a breeder. I rather take a shy former feral one and let her(him) get accustomed, like Kessy did, to living with a human.

    • weggieboy says:

      Oh… So sorry to learn FunTom has passed. Please accept my hugs and condolences. FunTom had a wonderful life with you, and the next kitty you find at the shelter will be fortunate, too. Kessy will benefit as well since cats do mourn the loss of their companions, as my friend Deborah noted when her kitty Serena passed, leaving Serena’s best kitty buddy Charles bereft of the companionship of his favorite friend. That was months ago, and he is just barely not meowing at the bottom of the stairs to try to get his friend Serena to come down to eat and play with him. I hope Kessy is doing well without her friend FunTom.

        • weggieboy says:

          Es ist traurig zu sehen, da es keine Möglichkeit gibt, sie wissen zu lassen, was passiert ist. Ich hoffe ihr neuer Freund (wenn man einen im Tierheim findet) hilft ihr, sich an den fehlenden FunTom zu gewöhnen.It’s sad to watch since there is no way to let her know what happened. I hope her new friend (when you find one at the shelter) helps her get used to the missing FunTom.

  3. Purr and Roar says:

    Such an important message. Cities also need to do more reduced cost/free spay/neuter for those who can’t afford it. It is definitely a crisis that we can’t adopt our way out of no matter where we live.

  4. weggieboy says:

    When my kittens were old enough, per their veterinarian’s advice as to when to do it, they were neutered. While they were there, I also had them microchipped.

    I strongly support spaying and neutering, and add my support to the cause! Though my two were assured a home with me before they old enough to leave their mother, all to many kittens (and puppies) have tragic outcomes because they were accidental because of the negligence of the humans in their lives.

    My first two cats were throw away lives I got at the local shelter. While they were wonderful pets, they could have been fodder for the cremation oven if I hadn’t come along. It makes me sad to think how close Freckles and Louie came to extinction, knowing what sweet spirits they were.

    • Marc-André says:

      Thank you! And yes I know what you mean… while it’s a lot less likely for pets to be euthanised in this country there are thousands and thousands in shelters which is heart breaking. 🙁

      • weggieboy says:

        Slowly, America is waking up to the benefit of no kill shelters and stressing the importance of neutering and spaying. One day, I hope it is the rule, not the exception. Thank you for your efforts to promote this humane approach to controlling animal populations and for your strong commitment to adopting shelter pets!

  5. weggieboy says:

    Reblogged this on weggieboy's blog and commented:
    I strongly support spaying and neutering pets, a basic principle for responsible pet ownership. Also, finding pets among those in shelters is a humane alternative to what they otherwise experienced in their lives, and, in my experience, a great way to fill a hole in one’s heart with a cat or dog. While kittens or puppies are a lot of fun, adult animals are harder to place, yet may be a better match for you if you have little experience with kittens or puppies. Believe me, when you go to a shelter, the animals choose you, so watch for the signs they want you to take them home!

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