Pet Pointers: Fix by Five

Fix By Five (FixbyFive.org) is a campaign of the national non-profit organization, Marian's Dream, to educate the public about the importance of spaying/neutering cats by five months of age to avoid unwanted litters and the euthanization of 1.4 million cats each year.

I had a chance to do an interview to learn more.

·Why is it so important to make sure cats are spayed or neutered?

 

There are three main reasons why cats should be spayed or neutered by 20 weeks, five months:

Medical:  As far as the individual cat is concerned, the risk of mammary gland cancer – which is very hard to cure once it starts – is reduced by over 90% if cats are spayed before five months.

 

Behavioral:  A common problem people have with male cats is spraying and marking.  This behavior is far less likely to occur if the kitten was neutered before five months. Both mammary gland cancer and the spraying behavior are triggered by hormones – and if the cat is “fixed’ early enough, these hormones will not trigger the mammary cancer or the territorial marking.

 

Spraying and marking cost many male cats their homes each year, and there are an estimated 75,000 cases of mammary gland cancers annually in cats.

 

Community:  The third reason is that cats can become pregnant as early as four months in some areas of the country.  If that cat has kittens – and the average litter size is five or six kittens -  those kittens too can become pregnant in 20 weeks, resulting in far more kittens and cats than can find good homes.  After all they are multiplying several times as fast as humans. Millions are euthanized in shelters, and as many are left outdoors to fend for themselves.  All these problems and a great deal of suffering can be so easily prevented!

 

What problems does overpopulation lead to?

 

Unwanted cats usually live difficult lives with no medical care when they are sick or injured; food sources can be unhealthy such as when stray cats have to eat from dumpsters where they can easily ingest all sorts of harmful things; strays can be easy targets for bullies and other dangerous people as well as prey for dogs and coyotes; outdoor cats generally have a lifespan only a fraction as long as cats kept indoors.

 

Why the focus on five months?

 

We now know that a) that there are clear advantages to spaying/neutering by five months b) waiting till six months leads directly to overpopulation. We are hopeful that more and more veterinarians will become aware of – and act – according to the new guidelines of spaying/neutering anywhere between two months and five months of age. People who care about cats can help make their veterinarians aware of the new guidelines since professional veterinary organizations have endorsed the new guidelines but do not actively promote awareness of the new guidelines.

  

 

 What are some other ways people can help solve the problem of cat overpopulation?

 

 

-Adopt cats from shelters or take in strays and spay or neuter them

-Keep house cats indoors

-Speak to others in your community about the Fix by Five campaign (visit FixbyFive.org for information and to make a donation to this vital campaign - Just $3.00 will help.)

-Urge your vet to fix cats by the age of five months – bring in a printout from the web site www.fixbyfive.org, 

-Ask your vet to sign up their practice on the web site www.fixbyfive.org  if she/he does spay or neuter cats by five months as recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association, The American Animal Hospital Association, and the American Association of Feline Practitioners. 

 -Find out if there are homeless cats where you live and if there is a 'trap/neuter and return' program in  your area please consider volunteering your time. (Google Trap Neuter Return for more information.)