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Fix By Five Month
February 1, 2023
February is Fix By Five Month! It’s also Beat The Heat Month, National Prevent a Litter Month, and Spay/Neuter Awareness Month. There’s definitely a bit of a common theme going on here, and with good reason. Getting your kitty fixed is not only going to keep Fluffy healthier and happier, it’s also the single most effective thing you can do to fight cat overpopulation. In this article from Westside Animal Hospital, a Savannah, GA vet goes over both basics and benefits of getting Fluffy fixed.
Statistics
The numbers on fixing our feline friends very much speak for themselves. Cats can get pregnant at just 5 months old, which is where the ‘five’ in the ‘Fix by Five’ campaign originates from. Because kitties breed so quickly, keeping the populations of homeless and stray cats down is an ongoing challenge. About 3.2 million cats enter shelters every year. That’s just a fraction of the homeless and stray kitties out there. Many studies indicate that the US has about 30 million stras, but some estimates are as high as 100 million.The Campaign
The purpose behind the Fix By Five campaign is to help spread awareness of the fact that the best time to spay your feline pal is before they can reproduce. That’s why many professional organizations, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, recommend having this done before Fluffy reaches that five-month milestone. This is actually an ongoing point of confusion for many folks. A study done back in 2009 by Ipsos Marketing discovered that 75 percent of pet owners weren’t sure when to fix their furry friends, and thought this should happen after six months of age.Benefits
Why get Fluffy fixed so early? The biggest reason, of course, is to prevent unwanted litters. However, there are also some other benefits to getting this procedure scheduled sooner rather than later. Fixing your feline buddy before they reach sexual maturity helps reduce or prevent many undesirable behaviors, such as spraying. Getting Fluffy fixed will also help protect her from certain cancers. For instance, according to the AMVA site, getting your kitty fixed before she goes into heat reduces her risk of mammary cancer by a whopping 91 percent. Please feel free to contact us here at Westside Animal Hospital, your local Savannah, GA animal clinic, anytime. We’re always happy to help!
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