Attendees at an April event in Phoenix solemnly raised 100 pet collars into the air. The collars represented the number of pets euthanized in Maricopa County, Ariz. each day. A new project announced at the event aims to dramatically reduce…
By Bryan Kortis In our animal welfare system, government agencies and officials often play an important role. Most “open admission” shelters—ones that must accept any cat or dog brought to them—are run by the municipality or an agency the municipality…
Homeless cats need help across the board. Shelters are overwhelmed, adoption organizations have more animals than adopters and not enough cats and kittens are spayed/neutered to keep the overpopulation problem from growing each year. The start of a new year…
This article was co-written with Holly Sizemore, Director of Community Programs & Services, and National Programs, Best Friends Animal Society. It originally appeared in the Albuquerque Journal on Oct. 16. Take a walk through any part of Albuquerque. Whether you’re…
Many cats and dogs in the U.S. are not spayed or neutered. Some of them are owned, and others are free-roaming. Plus, spay/neuter needs vary by geographical area. That’s why PetSmart Charities funds a variety of different programs structured to…
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) can make a real difference in your local community. It’s the only proven method to humanely and effectively control the free-roaming cat population, and it often directly reduces a community’s euthanasia rate by lowering the number of births…
Did you know free-roaming cats are responsible for the majority of kittens produced in the U.S.? Unfortunately, many of the kittens from these litters eventually end up in shelters, where they’re at high risk for euthanasia. In fact, 11,000 cats…
Spay/neuter clinics are essential to ending pet homelessness, and they’re producing amazing results. PetSmart Charities has funded more than 100 spay/neuter clinics since 2009, and together they have done more than 2.1 million surgeries. This work has resulted in an…
The Pets for Life program helps remove barriers to accessible and affordable veterinary care, including spay/neuter, for pet owners in certain communities.
Free-roaming cats are part of everyday life for most communities. Though in warmer climates, like Florida, there appears to be no break from feline heat cycles. “The birth rate can be unrelenting,” says Sherry Silk, executive director for the Humane…
Warmer weather may still be months away, but cat owners all over the country are being encouraged to “Beat the Heat” by spaying their female cats in February to prevent unwanted litters from being born in the spring – a…
Big things can happen when people come together to address the homeless pets overpopulation, and it can start right in your own neighborhood. Neighborhoods are coming together to participate in trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs as a humane and effective method to…