11 June 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita Animal Action League hosted a free spay and neuter event in Planeview on Saturday. The organization helped fix nearly 40 privately owned pets.
WAAL Executive Director Christy Fischer says spaying and neutering will lower the chances of pet overpopulation.
“Just us spaying one cat in seven years is going to prevent over 400 thousand cats from being born and populating this area. So, spaying and neutering is going to do nothing but help our overpopulation problem, which means fewer strays and fewer owner surrenders coming into shelters and rescues,” explains Fischer.
The Kansas Humane Society has faced the consequences of the unmanageable pet population. They had 33 intakes on Friday alone.
KHS Communications Director Jordan Bani-Younes says they’ve had over six thousand animals brought into the shelter this year. The amount from January to March 2023 was higher than in previous years.
“It’s hurting us. We are currently full. We have a lot more that are coming in that are in line to come in, and it’s affecting us. It’s affecting every pound, every shelter, every rescue,” says Bani-Younes.
Animal advocates say fixing your pet is the first step to keeping animals in homes instead of shelters.
“Any time after eight weeks they’re old enough,” says Animal Health Center Home Care Veterinarian Jess Braun, “The anesthesia that we use is really safe. The procedure time for somebody like me that this is what I do, most of the time it’s eight to ten minutes.”
Braun says it takes just a few days for the animals to make a full recovery. In addition to eliminating reproduction in excess, it benefits animal health and behavioral problems.
“Males and females both are prone to certain types of cancers if they’re not fixed early. Females in particular especially when they get older, can get uterine infections. Definitely better to do it when they’re young,” explains Braun.
“Aggression, sometimes hyperactivity, sometimes marking or spraying in the house. Lots of good reasons to do it as a good responsible pet owner. So, if we really want to start making a dent on making sure that cats and dogs are safe and well-loved, we really need to start focusing on spay and neuter,” says Fischer.
WAAL will have three more free spay and neuter events this month. The date and location are as follows:
Planeview, June 13
Hilltop, June 16
Oaklawn, June 17
More information can be found here.