Neutering

I just want to comment on those of you who don't want to spay or neuter you pet. Sure, puppies and kittens are cute. There is nothing more beautiful than the miracle of life and birth. But what happens after that? Can you afford to feed all those babies? Go to the shelters and see how many cats and dogs are there looking for homes.
I am from Mexico. In mexico, most people do not like cats and dogs and consider them a nuisance.
And those that do have pets do not neuter them or vaccinate them, mostly because most cannot afford it. Usually the pets are given table scraps. The cats are all outdoor and the people would give them milk. Most dogs and cats are strays. The cats usually catch rodents and birds, but they are infested with alot of diseases. The dogs are often hanging around food joints in hopes of scraps. many of this dogs are chased of by the owners of the joints. I've seen many dogs with injured legs, wounds, with fleas, and with ribs showing. I once commented to my father that I would like to rescue these animals and try to cure them. He just laughted at me. So please, neuter your pets and you will save many lives.
Alicia

Good point.

Dawn

I agree Nena! You should tell this to the gal in the Health and Nutrition forum who doesn't want to neuter her cat
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...&threadid=1835

Nena:

I wish there were more people out there like you. You are so right. I wish everyone would understand the importance of spaying and neutering. There are millions of innocent animals dying every year because people do not take care of their animals and treat them like they are disposable.

Michele

Nena,
You made your point very well - Michele and I have rescued animals from Puerto Rico and it is the same - the animals have mange, they are starving, beaten and treated like non living objects.

The other thing I tell people is when you have a mixed breed animal or a purebred you don't know anything about because it came from a pet store, and you decide you are going to have a litter, you need to do one thing first. You need to go to the local shelter and look at all the puppies (or kittens, depending on what you are going breed). Then pick out five kittens or eight puppies - you have to be the one to pick out the ones that die to make homes for your kittens and puppies. Because we have such an overabundance of animals, for every one that is born, one must die.

I am not against breeding to better a breed - there is room on this earth for all the beautiful breeds in the world if it is done carefully and responsibly. However, we have so many animals dumped and euthanized every year because we have just become such a disposable society, it is sad, very sad. I would love it if rescuers like me were no longer needed.

Nena
Your mention of the plight of dogs and cats in Mexico reminded me of a TV program I saw here (Australia) that was filmed in Mexico. It is a regular gardening-come-lifestyle show that sometimes ventures overseas. Anyway, this particular episode stayed in my mind for a long time because of the background scenes it depicted of pitifully poor and, one suspects, abused animals - no mention was made of them in the script, probably the producers were quite unaware of their plight. One scene in particular showed a donkey tethered on bare earth in the blazing sun, so thin it's a wonder he was still able to stand. And no doubt this poor thing was expected to work as well. So it just made me wonder if Mexico has a known bad record re animal care and that maybe some lobbying could be done by animal welfare groups at government level? Often it's the case that people don't wish to be cruel to animals, they just don't know any better, especially when the whole country accepts it as normal. I know it's all very well for me to suggest such things from miles away here in Australia, but your message certainly struck a chord with me. It's like some of the other abuses of animals (like bear baiting in Pakistan, milking bears for bile in China, etc) that a culture considers normal until someone from a more liberal society stands up and says, Hey! That's cruel, also ignorant, backward and unnecessary. I'd be interested in your thoughts.

last summer, I began volunteering at the local aniaml shelter. I got there as "kitten season" was picking up, and we always had at least one litter in there. People would let their cats out, and when she had a litter, they would come to us. It broke my heart, seeing those adorable little kitties sitting abandoned in a cage because their owners had not spayed their mother. Sometimes, the mother would be there, too. fixing your cat is one of the best things you can do for it. thank you, Nena, for making such a good point.

~Michelle

Yes, most of the abused and neglected animals come from poor farmers. I am just one person and I am not familiar with the laws in mexico. I have to do some heavy research. Only the rich ranchers have healthy animals such as horses. One point I want to mention. About three years ago, I was watching a program in a spanish television station. There was a segment were somewhere in Central or South America, they would collect dogs(strays and those that have owners) and take them to a shelter where they were all enclosed in a cage, get them all soaked with water, and electricuted. My heart sank when I heard the cries of those poor dogs. I think something is being done because it is too cruel to be ignored.

Nena, that's just dreadful. You'd think there would have been a massive outcry about that. I'm wondering about organisations like The World Society for the Protection of Animals http://www.wspa.org.uk which has a very large membership and does seem to have the power to do something against animal cruelty and abuse worldwide. Maybe if you get proof about such things they could be worth contacting?

I am trying to figure out the spanish words for spay and neuter so that I can educate the hispanics about the importance. It is not in the dictonary. Or how to explain to them the process.
Any ideas?

This website tells about the stray cats of Singapore and about some people who are rescuing the cats and bringing them to the USA where they can find homes! It is very cool!

http://www.wizard.net/~peacock/kitkat4.htm#KITKAT

Nena, I'll have my sister ask her Spanish teacher tomorrow. Maybe she can help.

How about the word for "sterilize" or "castrate"?