‘Are You Kitten Me?’: First Ever Totally Free Cat Spays/Neuters for Spring
At the Root of Homeless Cats Are Unwanted Litters: Event Will Reduce ‘Kitten Season’ Crisis for Area Shelters
For Immediate Release:
March 26, 2015
Contact:
Alexis Sadoti 202-483-7382
Spring is here, and kitten season soon will be, together with an uptick in unwanted cats. Animal shelters dread the influx each year, as crowded shelters mean reduced chances for animals to find the good homes they need. That’s why this spring, PETA is looking to nip the problem in the bud with an unprecedented lifesaving special offer: free spay and neuter surgeries for companion cats at its mobile clinics throughout April through PETA’s “Are You Kitten Me?” initiative. PETA’s mobile clinics will visit sites across southeastern Virginia, including Portsmouth, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Chesapeake, Boykins, Gloucester, and others.
Appointments are required, and free spots can be reserved by calling PETA at 757-622-7382, option 3, or going online to PETA.org/SpayNeuterAppt.
“Animal shelters are already turning away homeless animals, as there is no room for them, so now is the time to ‘spend to save’ by halting the annual spring flood of homeless kittens,” says PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien. “A simple ‘snip’ is a stitch in time, and PETA is calling on cat guardians everywhere to do the right thing for cats now and save thousands of kittens from being born with nowhere to go.”
In 2014 alone, Virginia shelters accepted nearly 94,000 unwanted cats and kittens. Every year, animal shelters are forced to euthanize millions of homeless cats and other animals for lack of decent homes, and kitten season is prime breeding time—and the best time to ensure that fewer animals contribute to the companion-animal overpopulation crisis. In addition, sterilized animals live longer and happier lives, are less likely to develop cancer of the reproductive system, and, in the case of neutered males, are less likely to roam or fight.
PETA offers low-cost spay/neuter services year-round. PETA’s fleet of mobile clinics has spayed and neutered more than 113,000 dogs and cats since 2001.
For more information, please visit PETA.org or PETA.org/SpayNeuter.
