Longtime game show host Bob Barker offered some good advice at the end of each episode of “The Price is Right.”
“Please help reduce the number of pets. Please have your pets spayed or neutered.”
That was an important message. Cats can live as long as 20 years, but they can start breeding in just 5 months. She is pregnant for just over two months. This means up to 5 litters per year and up to 9 kittens per litter. She will give birth to nearly 900 kittens in her lifetime.
For dogs, the numbers are a little slower. Depending on the breed, a dog can give birth to 10 puppies in its lifetime, and up to 8 puppies at a time. This could result in the introduction of 80 new his four-legged friends into the ecosystem.
An overabundance of stray dogs and cats can have the same impact on indigenous populations as non-native species. Cats can decimate bird populations. Stray animals can damage property, affect property values, spread disease, and create unsanitary conditions.
But it's a stray animal, right? What do pets have to do with it? Unwanted trash may be thrown out or thrown away, creating a public nuisance.
So Pittsburgh's program, which provides city residents with vouchers to spay or neuter their pets, was a smart investment in many ways.
The best civic programs use small investments to create a domino effect for larger problems. Covering this procedure not only saved residents money on veterinary costs; This saves money on other pet supplies and allows for safe, humane care. That meant the number of animals that ended up on the streets and all the complications that caused.
Therefore, suspending a program because it is being abused by people outside the city is a sad outcome.
The city and its actual residents, as well as all the dogs and cats, would be better off getting their money back from those who fraudulently obtained vouchers.
The $70,000 price tag is a fair price for a program with a larger impact.
Come on, Pittsburgh. Please help us manage the number of pets. Have your pet spayed/neutered.
