Kitten crisis – the solution = Neutering!

It is kitten season and we are overwhelmed with requests to take in unwanted litters of pet and stray kittens and their mothers. In the battle between the rescues and the breeders unfortunately the breeders are winning, and consequently animals are suffering.
During the pandemic the demand for pets was huge and many new pet owners acquired their first pets, cats, dogs, rabbits etc and so the pet population increased. Since then rescues have been increasingly struggling to cope with the aftermath – high levels of abandonment of unwanted cats and dogs. A situation made many times worse by home breeding and a lack of neutering resulting in more and more litters being born.
Combined with the pressure of the cost of living crisis its a nightmare situation. Ask anyone working in rescue – it is as if we have gone back in time at least 20 years, the situation is at crisis point for our pets and continuing to deteriorate.
So who are the people still not neutering their pets? – deliberately breeding and adding to the problem?
Maybe they are a greedy person trying to sell kittens and puppies for profit? Or a lazy person or couldn’t be bothered to neuter? Or they might be someone who couldn’t afford to neuter ? or someone who simply did not have the skills in life to be able to seek veterinary care?
There is also another group of pet owners, those who consider themselves caring, good, responsible owners. They choose to let their pet have “just one litter”, or want their children to witness the “miracle of birth” or its okay because they have “found good homes” for their puppies or kittens. We find this group of people particularly frustrating because the “good homes” they find could have instead given a home to cats and kittens or dogs or puppies that have already been born and are in the care of rescue centres. By adopting from rescued animals they can free up space to allow animal charities to save more cats and dogs from the streets, from neglect and from being needlessly euthanased simply because they are ‘surplus’ and unwanted.
But what you can you do? Your pets are neutered, you know the rescue centres are full and struggling, you have every sympathy for the plight of rescue animals, it makes you feel sad but how can you help? – We ask that you please speak up for the animals at every opportunity. If you hear of unneutered pets, or people planning to breed, please wherever and whenever possible speak up, be an advocate for rescued animals, let these people know the suffering that is happening, that there are too many animals and not enough homes. Some simply don’t know what is happening, a few don’t care but please try and speak to them about neutering their pet, you may just change their mind.

There is a saying “How do you save the lives of hundreds of animals? – Just neuter one!”