Spay / Neuter

Controlling Pet Overpopulation:

So many people love cats and dogs. Unfortunately, too many homeless cats and dogs need loving homes. Don’t add to the problem of pet overpopulation – have your pet spayed or neutered.

All pets adopted from Pinellas County Animal Services have already been spayed or neutered, saving you the expense and time of having the service done later. 

For Pinellas County citizens on public assistance, we offer low cost feline spay and neuter.

• Appointments can only be scheduled in person
  
• Your cat must be between 3 months and 8 years of age and in good health
  
• To schedule your appointment, bring the following:
  
  • Photo ID
    
  • Proof of indigence
    
  • Proof of current rabies vaccination and license
• Payment (cash or card) – fees subject to change
  • Female cat: $75 includes rabies and tag
  • Male cat: $65 includes rabies shot and tag
  • No refund

Spay & Neuter Resources in Pinellas County:

If you are considering spaying and/or neutering your pet(s) please call or visit your local veterinarian's office.

• 2,000 dogs and 3,000 cats are born every hour in the United States compared to 415 humans.
• 15 million healthy, loving, friendly cats, dogs, kittens and puppies will face death as a form of population control.
• There are not enough homes for all the puppies and kittens born from pets whose owners simply did not spay and neuter them.
• One unspayed female dog, her mate and their offspring can produce up to 67,000 dogs in only six years.
• One unspayed female cat, her mate and all of their offspring can produce 370,092 in just seven years.

Most of these myths have been passed along for years and years without any basis in fact. People still believe false statements like: "It will calm her down to have a litter," and "He needs to sow his oats," or "It will make her/him more protective." These are all inaccurate viewpoints and you have probably heard them all! Let’s look at a few more.

Fact: Spaying/Neuter a dog or cat at an early age is not only beneficial for the pet, it is also the responsible thing to do as a pet owner.

• Myth #1: Spaying/Neuter makes a dog or cat fat and lazy.
  With the right amount of food and exercise, your pet will not become fat. He will require fewer calories to maintain proper weight and should be fed less - he will be less expensive to feed! A dog's laziness or inactivity depends on his personality and temperament.

• Myth #2: Dogs and cats should have one litter before being spayed.
  There is no health benefit to allowing a dog or cat to give birth before being spayed. To the contrary, dogs and cats which are spayed at a young age and before the first heat cycle have significantly lower risks of developing mammary cancers as they get older. Having a litter does not in any way improve or change a pet's disposition. It will however drain her body of nutrients, make her thin, and can weaken her bones and teeth.

• Myth #3: Dogs and cats should not be spayed until 6 months of age.
  While this was the recommendation several years ago, it is no longer recommended to wait until a dog or cat is 6 months of age to spay. In fact, early spaying and neutering is being routinely performed at animal shelters throughout the United States as early as 6 to 8 weeks of age without ill effects.

• Myth #4: Dogs and cats should be allowed to come into heat before being spayed.
  Spaying a dog or cat after the first heat cycle actually increases the risk of mammary cancers developing later in life. Spaying prior to the first heat cycle is the most current recommendation.

• Myth #5: Watching a pet give birth is a healthy experience for a child.
  Many people feel that their children will benefit from watching the miracle of an animal giving birth. What these people fail to take into account is that whelping or queening carries some degree of risk for the female dog or cat. While a young child might benefit from watching a successful birthing which takes place without complication, that same child might be incredibly traumatized by watching a puppy or kitten be born deformed or dead. Worse yet, should complications arise that take the life of the female pet, the child would then lose a cherished companion.

• Myth #6: A female pet will become aggressive after being spayed.
  Female dogs and cats do not become aggressive because they have been spayed. Changes in temperament and disposition are rarely due to being spayed and when there are changes in temperament as a result of being spayed, these changes are much more likely to be positive changes.

• Myth #7: My dog is a purebred so it's OK if I breed.
  The fact is that 25 percent of all animals found in a shelter are AKC or UKC purebreds. Know what that means? NOT MUCH! Those letters just mean they belong to a club and are registered to it. There is no guarantee of quality.

• Myth #8: My pet is a male; I won’t have any litters.
  These animals are a very big part of the pet overpopulation problem since they escape and breed with females in heat. They roam more, are more aggressive, and create many litters for someone else to raise.

• Myth #9: It costs too much.
  It will cost you a lot more to care for the litters created by your pet! If you have a litter and take proper care of it your cost factors are much more than a spay/neuter procedure would ever be. It will also cost less than the vet bills incurred from your male running after the female in heat up the road, and getting injured by a car. There are programs for assistance for those who cannot afford to get the procedure done

• Myth #10: Spaying & neutering is painful for the pet.
  Surgery is performed under anesthesia and animals are usually back on their feet into normal activities within 24 to 72 hours. This slight discomfort is not harmful and prevents the suffering and death of hundreds of unwanted animals that could be born if you do not spay/neuter your pet.

• Myth #11: If I neuter my male, he won't be as protective.
  Most pets will actually be more effective at protection since they will have stabilized hormones. They are usually easier to train. Altered animals are protective and loyal to their owners and often will have reduced desires to wander, mark territory and fight with other animals.

• Myth #12: Only females need to be fixed, it's not my responsibility.
  As we all know it takes two to tango. The female may end up with the litter, but it's just as much his doing as hers.

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