CAPE TOWN – Cape of Good Hope SPCA’s Spokesperson Belinda Abraham revealed to IOL the alarming number of offspring that can be produced if owners do not get their animals sterilised.
Tuesday was World Spay Day. There are a number of animal welfare organisations who are raising awareness on the matter for the sake of animals, including Cape Town’s local government.
Abraham revealed the alarming numbers if your pets do not get sterilised, busted myths surrounding sterilisation and its benefits.
“One unsterilised female dog and her offspring can produce 67 000 puppies in six years,” Abraham said.
Meanwhile, that number is dramatically increased when your feline furry friends are involved.
Within the same period, one unsterilised female cat and her offspring can produce an alarming 317 000 kittens.
It comes as no surprise that by getting pets sterilised, it will reduce the burden placed on animal welfare organisations. In terms of housing stray animals as well as the financial burden.
“It minimises sexual hyperactivity, hormonal aggression, minimises dog, and improves pet behaviour with their owners, children and other animals,” Abraham said.
“It reduces bad behaviour like car chasing, urinating in doors, prevents males from straying and potentially being run over by cars when females are in season,” she said.
When animals are treated at animal welfare organisations owners do have to commit to sterilisation before receiving any treatment, and if owners deny this – they will be directed to private veterinary services.
Abrahams gave an insight into the number of sterilisations the Cape SPCA conducts with the conditions for treatment in mind.
“Our hospital treats more than 107 clinical cases per day, that's about 13-14 animals every hour”.
However, with animals being sterilised Abrahams says that it also reduces the number of cruelty cases that are derived from unwanted pets.
105 animal cruelty cases were brought before the court in the 2020/2021 financial year – 63 of which were brought forward from the previous year.
In the 2021/2022 financial year, 53 new cruelty cases were initiated – only nine successful convictions occurred in total within the period of both financial years.
The City of Cape Town’s updated animal keeping by-laws play a vital part in combating animal cruelty and ensuring sterilisation.
“The by-law empowers the Animal Control Unit (ACU), a specialised unit within the Law Enforcement Department, to act on nuisance complaints, non-adherence to animal keeping as well as dog attacks and act together with animal welfare organisations in cases of animal cruelty,” the City said on Tuesday.
The same by-law ensures mandatory sterilisation for dogs and cats over six months, and owners who wish to be exempt from this rule are required to apply – and it will be accepted or denied on case by case basis.
“Since August last year up until the end of last month, the City’s ACU has impounded 94 animals and issued 170 notices for contravention of the animal keeping by-law. Officers also assisted with 93 stray animals and 130 animals were handed over by their owners to the SPCA,” the City said.
In terms of myths surrounding sterilisation, Abraham said it is false that your pets personality will change after the procedure or that your pets will become lazy.
IOL