“Just One Litter”
How many people do you know who’ve said that? Each litter of 3 -5 kittens or puppies (or even many more!) means many times that number of cats and dogs will be brought into the community because, just like the person who said this, many of the “free to good home” adopters will do the same thing, or just never bother to get the kitten or puppy spayed or neutered.
If one kitten is allowed to run around outside and gets pregnant at 6 months or age, giving birth 2 months later to 4 kittens, and then two of those kittens get pregnant at 6 months of age and each have 4 kittens 2 months later, in just 1 year and 4 months, there will be 13 cats and kittens. The original kittens, if not spayed will likely get pregnant again, shortly after giving birth, producing another 4 or more kittens each. So in this period of time, there may actually be over 20 cats and kittens. You can see how fast this gets out of control. What started as a simple situation – one cat who needed to be spayed – becomes an impossible situation.
Please be responsible; get your cat or dog spayed or neutered before he/she can reproduce.
Inexpensive Spay and Neuter Options
Vouchers
Discounts on spaying and neutering of up to $50 for dogs and $25 for cats are available to residents of unincorporated areas of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Contact Pet Overpopulation Coalition (POPCO) at info@popco-inc.org or 1-888-767-2550. If you call, you will need to leave a message, and a volunteer will get back to you.
Low-Cost Veterinarians
Some veterinarians in the High Desert offer low-cost spaying and neutering. Among them are
- Victor Valley Animal Protective League, Apple Valley, 760-247-2102
http://www.vvapl.com (click on Spay/Neuter) - Hesperia Veterinary Services, Hesperia, 760-244-3833
https://www.hesperiaveterinaryservices.com/ - Samaritan Animal Hospital, Apple Valley, 760-240-6000
https://samaritan-animal-hospital.business.site/ - Ark Animal Hospital, Victorville, 760-245-7300
- Bear Valley Animal Hospital, Apple Valley, 760-240-5228
http://www.bearvalleyanimalhospital.com/
Additional help
There are charities that offer additional assistance to those who can’t afford to spay or neuter their pets. These include:
- Actors and Others for Animals (818) 755-6045 or (818) 755-6323
http://actorsandothers.com/ - Pet Assistance Foundation 1-877-SPAY PET or 1-877-772-9738
http://www.petassistancefoundation.org/ - Bark Avenue Foundation 323-553-2349
https://barkavenuefoundation.org/