You've probably heard about spaying and neutering your pets many times before, but a subject this important bears repeating. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) estimates on their web site that "In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats, one female dog & her offspring can theoretically produce 67,000 dogs."

With these numbers, it's easy to see how our nation is facing an overpopulation problem among stray cats and dogs. The saddest part is that the strays are the ones that suffer the most. The HSUS also "estimates the number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year between 8 to 10 million, with 4 to 5 million being euthanized." All of these pointless deaths were caused because people chose not to spay or neuter their pets. It's ironic how such a simple decision can have such a huge impact.

If these scary statistics aren't enough to convince you of the need for spaying and neutering, then you should know that your pets will have longer and healthier lives after the procedure. Those pets who aren't fixed live at a high risk of developing either testicular or ovarian cancer among other related diseases. Many people ask the question "why should I spay or neuter?". In light of this information, the real question should be "how can I not spay or neuter, when there is so much suffering of innocent animals in this country?"