If you have ever visited an animal shelter, you know that pet overpopulation is a huge problem. The best solution to this problem is spaying and neutering all nonbreeding pets to prevent unwanted litters. Some may wonder how much difference spaying their pet can make. Consider this example: How many kittens do you think one pair of cats and their offspring could produce, assuming they have 2 litters per year, and 3 kittens in each litter? In 1 year, they could produce 12 cats. Within 5 years, that number jumps to 12,680. After 10 years, the number reaches 80,399,780! All starting from one unspayed female and one unneutered male cat.

There are more benefits to spaying and neutering than just population control. If a female is spayed before her first heat cycle, you almost eliminate the chance that she will develop breast cancer later in life. Spaying also eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers, and the risk of a uterine infection, which can be life-threatening if not treated in time. In addition, having a cat or dog in heat around the house can be a huge headache, since males can detect a female in heat up to several miles away, and they will be congregating in your yard!

There are benefits for males as well. Neutering eliminates the chance of testicular cancer, which is the second most common cancer in male dogs. Male dogs that are not neutered are at a high risk of developing an enlarged prostate, just as older men can, and this puts them at much higher risk for prostatic tumors and infections. Neutered dogs and cats are less likely to roam from their yards and get into fights.

Some people are concerned that spaying and neutering will change their pet's personality; this is not the case at all. If anything, it may improve their behavior, as they will tend to be less aggressive. Weight gain is another common concern. It has been shown that spaying and neutering will mildly slow down an animal's metabolism, but this does not automatically mean they will gain weight. Owners will just need to be a little more careful about the amount of food their pet eats and make sure they get plenty of exercise.