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It’s Fix By Five Month!

February 1, 2023

There’s an important pet awareness event happening this month. February is Fix By Five Month. This is an awareness campaign dedicated to fighting animal overpopulation, specifically by encouraging pet owners to get their feline friends fixed before they reach five months of age. A Leesburg, VA vet offers some information on the program below.

History

The Fix By Five program is an initiative started by Marian’s Dream, a nonprofit focused on combating pet overpopulation. There are as many as 70 million homeless pets just in the US alone! These numbers play a huge role in animal welfare issues: shelters are overflowing with dogs and cats. Unfortunately, not all of them get adopted. While more and more shelters are going no-kill, this isn’t a universal policy: roughly 920,000 pets are euthanized annually. Another sobering number? As many as 80 percent of kitties in shelters have not been fixed.

Benefits Of Spaying/Neutering

The main benefit of spaying and neutering, as you may know, is to help prevent animal overpopulation. However, that isn’t the only reason. Getting Fluffy fixed can drastically reduce unwanted behaviors, such as spraying and yowling. Your cat will also be calmer, and less inclined to try to run off in search of love. There are health benefits as well. Pets that have been fixed tend to live longer than those who haven’t been. Your furry friend will also have reduced or even eliminated risks of developing certain illnesses, such as breast and testicular cancer. Ask your vet for more information.

Older Cats

What if your feline pal is over five months old? Your kitty can still be fixed. However, male cats may have started spraying by this point, and females could be in heat or even pregnant. Cats can get pregnant at just five months, which is the reason for the five-month recommendation. If you know or suspect that your furball is in heat, talk to your vet and let them know, so they can schedule the procedure accordingly.

Tips

Spay/neuter surgery is quite routine, and has little risk of complication. However, you will need to follow the after-care instructions carefully, and keep an eye out for signs of trouble. Ask your vet for specific care tips. 

Do you need to get your furry friend fixed? Contact us, your localLeesburg, VA animal clinic, for all your cat’s veterinary care needs.