Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh aims to spay and neuter 500 cats in 24 hours
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh is trying to spay and neuter hundreds of cats in 24 hours to help keep the population down.
The organization has the goal to spay and neuter 500 cats during its Spay-a-Thon. Without medical intervention, the organization says those 500 cats would grow to over 33,000 in two years and over one million in just four years.
It's the sixth year for the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh's Spay-a-Thon. Vets and representatives from animal welfare organizations across the region team up with HARP to help reduce the unwanted pet population.
The program is designed to spay and neuter community cats that HARP says don't have owners and live outdoors -- whether they're feral, friendly, born into the wild, lost or abandoned.
The Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh said homeless pets create serious problems. They destroy property, spread disease and cost the public money to control. Unwanted litters also overcrowd the organization's shelter, putting a strain on the resources it can provide to other animals waiting for homes.
During the Spay-A-Thon, the cats will also receive rabies vaccines, FVRCP vaccines, flea prevention and ear tips, which makes it easy to identify whether the cat has been spayed or neutered.
The Spay-a-Thon, which is free and made possible through donations, started at 6 a.m. on Monday at the organization's East Side campus on Hamilton Avenue. It lasts through Tuesday.