It's Raining Cats and Dogs

Shelters all across the United States are filled with yapping, meowing, and barking animals. If these animals are not adopted in time to make room for more unwanted animals, they are euthanized. Animals are breeding quickly, causing fluctuation in the animal population. It is almost literally raining cats and dogs. An effective way to combat this problem is the spay and neuter the animals to ensure they do not reproduce. Spaying and neutering animals will decrease the animal population and prevent many animals from being put into crowded shelters and euthanized.

Most people in the United States do not believe or even realize a problem exists in the animal population. “Of the 6 million to 8 million dogs and cats that enter the United States shelters each year, 3 million to 4 million are euthanized according to the Humane Society of United States (Banton 2).” 78% of the 10,00 pets that enter the Humane Shelter receives annually are euthanized. These statistics are not an exaggeration. The animal population effects more than just the animals and the shelters that take them in. It impacts local cities and communities, because of the federal taxes being paid to shelters to euthanize animals. The tax money , also covers the food and board of the animals while in the shelter. “ Each dog and cat costs about $10 a day to care for; the average stay for an animal is five days (Anderson 2).” Spaying and neutering animals is not only essential for domesticated animals(pets) , but also for feral animals that live in the wild and reproduce without restrictions. “Two unaltered cats and their offspring can produce 420,00 cats in seven years. Two unaltered dogs and their offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in six years (Lobeck 1).” Many ...

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...aken the animal to the local shelter and paid a small fee.

We, as a society need to make it our priority,to reduce and even diminish the rising animal population. The programs are here in the United States. “First Coast No More Homeless Pets has altered 50,0009 (pets) in the past seven years. The new First Coast No More Homeless Pets has the capacity to to do that in a single year(Conner 1).” Many people on fixed income can afford the free programs , mentioned above. Shelters money comes out of federal taxes. If the citizens taxes were to pay for a Feral and Trap program, where the cats are spayed and neutered and then sterilized, less money would be going towards animal shelters and clinics. Non-profit organizations would get what they wanted all along. No more unwanted animals being euthanized. No more crowded shelters or clinics. No more feral cat colonies.