Save the Lives of Cats and Dogs: Support Non-Surgical Sterilization
Imagine being able to sterilize your dog or cat without surgery or anesthesia, but with a simple injection. While a sterilization injection is not available yet, it will be. WHEN is a matter of how much the public pressures pharmaceutical companies, scientists, regulators and funders into developing the right tools.
While many U.S. pet owners are able to afford and access spay/neuter surgery, it's often a different story for low-income pet owners and rural residents. Surgical sterilization is also logistically difficult and expensive for population control of un-owned animals, such as shelter animals and feral cats. An estimated five million cats and dogs die each year in US shelters alone.
The situation is even more desperate in many other countries where geographic, economic and cultural barriers prevent widespread use of sterilization to control dog and cat populations. Suffering is often greatest in these communities.
Much of this tragedy could be prevented by the development of new non-surgical tools which will facilitate population control as well as providing health and behavioral benefits to the animals receiving them. These tools will enable sterilization of those animals traditional sterilization has not reached.
Join the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D), the ASPCA and Petfinder.com in endorsing this petition by declaring your support now! Your signatures and comments will be delivered to key targets to stimulate funding, research and development, approval and distribution of these life-saving tools.
Whereas:
- Dog and cat overpopulation and homelessness are critical issues worldwide with approximately 5 million dogs and cats killed annually in US shelters alone.
- In a recent survey of over 2,000 US pet owners, reducing the pet overpopulation problem was ranked as the most important issue.
- Cat and dog overpopulation costs millions of dollars in public and private funds and poses public health risks.
- Preventing cats and dogs from reproducing is widely accepted as the primary solution to pet overpopulation and homelessness.
- Traditional sterilization (surgical spay/neuter) is difficult to access for many dog and cat owners, is prohibitively expensive and complicated for population control in many unowned animals, and is even considered inhumane in some countries.
- Availability of appropriate nonsurgical sterilization methods, delivered as a simple injection, would dramatically increase access to sterilization for both owned and unowned cats and dogs.
We, the undersigned, support the rapid development of nonsurgical sterilization methods which meet or exceed regulatory requirements for safety and efficacy and which serve as effective tools for dog and cat population.
