In the wake of Valentine's Day, the Doris Day Animal Foundation and PetsMart are pushing the seventh annual Spay Day USA — Feb. 27 — and encouraging pet owners to have their animals spayed or neutered.

        What's in it for you?

        Well, aside from avoiding unsolicited kittens and puppies, we all save the $176 it costs the public to capture, house and euthanize an animal, the foundation argues. The average bill for “altering” a dog or cat is less than $100.

CAT CHAT

Becky Richardson, founder of Alley Cat Allies, a national non-profit group, explains what to do about wild cats in a seminar, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, at University of Cincinnati College of Law Room 114. Hear from caretakers, veterinarians, animal control officers and humane society staff. Free. (513) 681-6194. Sponsors: Alley Cat Allies and Humane Ohio.

        One female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in seven years, according to the Cincinnati Veterinary Medical Association. A dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in six years.

        Taxpayers pay $2 billion a year to round up, house, kill and dispose of 4-6 million homeless dogs and cats, according to USA Today.

        American shelters kill 71 percent of the cats they receive and 56 percent of the dogs, the foundation says.

        Other advantages of going under the knife: cats stop spraying; dogs and cats fight less; animals are less likely to stray and get lost; they don't need to be confined to avoid pregnancy;

        Neutered animals have less risk of mammary and testicular cancers and fewer diseases of the uterus and prostate.

        And, if you have a dog or cat neutered in February or March, you can win a $100 PetsMart certificate in the Every Spay/Neuter Counts Contest.

        To enter, go to 1888pets911.org. or mail an entry form, available at PetsMart stores, to the Doris Day Animal Foundation, 227 Massachusetts Ave. NE No. 100, Washington, D.C., 20077-0502. Entry deadline: April 16.

        For more information, call (888) 738-7911 or go to www.1888pets911.org.
       

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