By Jayn Corral
Please help us take full advantage of the matching offer for donations to the SPA’s Pet Food Money Bank! All donations to that fundraiser through June 30, 2021, will be matched by anonymous donors up to a total of US$2,000! All money raised will be applied to the annual cost of feeding our cats and dogs (about 100 in all). For details, please see www.spasanmiguel.org/pet-food-money-bank and click the “donate” button on any page. We have a long way to go to reach our goal of 250,000 pesos (about US$13,500).
Have you heard of “Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet”? It is one of my favorite shows. For over 25 years, Dr. Jeff Young has worked tirelessly to help animals rather than focus on making money. His clinic, Planned Pethood Plus, located in Denver, Colorado, has over 80,000 clients and a staff of 30. Over 30 surgeries are performed there every day. He has sponsored sterilization and clinical events throughout Europe and South America, including Mexico. People from all over the world seek his services because of his expertise, low or no cost, and his straight-talking, warm-hearted demeanor.
One thing he said in an episode really struck me. He was doing a blitz on a remote island in South America and commented that for every human born, a cat could produce 45 kittens. Wow! Is it any wonder that the overpopulation of cats is such a problem? Sadly, overpopulation often leads to cats and kittens being discarded the same way we discard our garbage. Other times, it leads to horrific, tragic deaths due to starvation, disease, attacks by other animals, and abuse by humans.
Cats can conceive as young as three months of age. The feline gestation period is two months, so it is possible for a female cat to have up to five litters each year. According to Dr. Jeff, the average litter is 3-1/2 kittens. Cats do not go through menopause, so they can reproduce well into their geriatric years. Rarely do cats outlive their reproductive years, which average 12 to 15 years.
When the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of sterilization events were also cancelled, including those in San Miguel de Allende. As a result, San Miguel is among those locations with a surplus of unwanted kittens and puppies, overwhelming rescuers and organizations trying to protect them and find them homes. Zander and Walter, now at the SPA, are part of that baby boom.
Join in the effort to stop the proliferation of kittens and puppies. Call 415 152 6124 for an appointment with our veterinarian, Dr. Omar Córdova, to sterilize your pet or, perhaps, strays you are protecting. Encourage others to do the same. The clinic is open from 9am to 3pm, Monday-Saturday and stays open until 4pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays (discount days). A variety of sterilization events have now been starting to pop up around the city. Take advantage of them! Do what you can to help curb canine and feline overpopulation.