Why It Is Eco-Friendly to Spay or Neuter Your Pet
Many people make it a priority to spay or neuter their pets, but living green is not usually a motivating factor. Here’s why spaying or neutering provides the added benefit of being green.
As much as we love our pets, there are billons of unwanted homeless animals that not only suffer as individuals but may have severe negative repercussions on the environment.
-
Animal shelters are filled to the brim with unwanted pets. The consumptive cost of caring for them in the form of energy, food and fuel contributes to a wealth of environmental problems.
- Animals in shelters that do not find homes either live out their life in a cage (requiring energy) or are euthanized releasing chemicals into the environment e.g. into the ground if they are buried or into the atmosphere when they are cremated.
The distinctive dangers regarding unwanted, feral cats
Cats, originating from Africa, are now an invasive species that are found in almost every part of the world with the exception of only a few islands. The overpopulated domestic cat offers further problems specific to cats in addition to those mentioned above:
- Domestic felines have few natural predators and have been responsible for the extinction or endangerment of other species, mainly birds. Feral or stray cats are even more of threat, relying on prey to survive in the absence of human assistance.
- Feral cat colonies which quickly become overpopulated, result in the rampant spread of feline disease which can be transmitted to pets that are lucky enough to have a home as well as undomesticated and sometimes endangered relative cat species such as lions, tigers, jaguars, etc.
Many animal shelters and other non-profit organizations offer low cost clinics for people who want to neuter their pet but have limited resources.
Return to Green Pets from Why It Is Eco-Friendly to Spay or Neuter Your Pet
|
