No One Should Exercise the 'Right' to Refuse to Have Their Cats and Dogs 'Fixed,' Says Group
For Immediate Release:
December 18, 2012
Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382
Lansing, Mich. -- In the wake of the passage of the controversial "Religious Liberty and Conscience Protection Act" in the Michigan legislature, PETA is having its say in the matter. The bill, which has been sent to the governor, allows doctors and other medical professionals the right to refuse to perform and employers to refuse to pay for any procedure that violates their personal beliefs, including a woman's request for contraception or an abortion. But when it comes to cats and dogs, there's no debate, says PETA. That's why the group is currently negotiating with Lansing outdoor advertisers to place a billboard in the city showing a sad kitten and reading, "Birth Control Saves Lives. Always Spay or Neuter Your Dogs and Cats."
"There's nothing conscientious or religious about refusing to spay and neuter companion animals—just irresponsible," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "Every single one of the millions of homeless cats and dogs in this country was born to parents who weren't spayed or neutered."
One unspayed female cat and her offspring can produce a whopping 370,000 cats in just seven years, and one unneutered male dog can father nearly limitless litters. Six to 8 million cats and dogs enter animal shelters every year in the U.S., and roughly half of them must be euthanized because there simply aren't enough good homes. Unwanted dogs and cats who never make it to an animal shelter are often abandoned and must fend for themselves on the streets, where they are often subjected to cruelty and suffer from starvation, disease, or injuries. The solution is simple: spaying and neutering.
PETA also strongly encourages all prospective cat or dog guardians to save a life by always adopting from an animal shelter and never buying from a breeder or pet store, which only exacerbates the homeless-animal crisis.