This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Neighbor News

Cat Owners should "Beat the Heat" before spring with the Catmobile's spay/neuter campaign

Sponsored by PetSmart Charities®, "Beat the Heat" provides $20 spay surgeries for female cats

Salisbury, MA (January 8, 2015) – Warmer weather may still be months away, but the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society’s Catmobile wants you to “Beat the Heat” by spaying your cat in advance of her heat cycle and preventing unwanted litters from being born this spring. Animal shelters commonly refer to spring time as “kitten season” because that is when they receive the largest influx numbers of unwanted litters that are difficult to adopt.

That’s why the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society is offering a special “Beat the Heat” campaign sponsored by PetSmart Charities, the largest funder of animal welfare efforts in North America. Through the “Beat the Heat” campaign, the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society will provide $20 spay surgeries for female cats during the month of February.

Spaying and neutering is one of the most effective ways to reduce the homeless pet population and is safe for kittens as young as eight to 10 weeks old, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Spaying a female cat before the first heat cycle can be beneficial, improving the health of the pet by reducing the risk of certain reproductive cancers and infections.

Find out what's happening in Dedhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Female cats can have as many as three litters a year, and kittens can breed as young as four months old,” says Liz Pease, Director of Operations for the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society. “Most people don’t want to see their cat get pregnant over and over again, so hopefully our “Beat the Heat” campaign will serve as a gentle reminder to cat owners to sterilize their cats before they go into heat this year.”

This special $20 rate is even less than the organization’s normal low-cost price and is available to all residents. Cat parents who wish to take advantage of this offer must mention the “Beat the Heat” campaign when they schedule their appointment. This campaign is based on availability.

Find out what's happening in Dedhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Thanks to the PetSmart Charities grant, the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society will provide 75 female cat “Beat the Heat” sterilizations for $20 in February. Please visit www.catmobile.org or call 978-465-1940 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

PetSmart Charities’ “Beat the Heat” campaign provides more than $598,870 to spay/neuter clinics to fund affordable, high-quality spay and neuter surgeries for 17,488 female cats across the nation during the month of February.

About the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society
The MRFRS is a nationally recognized, nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization committed to ensuring the health and welfare of feral and domestic cats and kittens by promoting pro-active, compassionate, no-kill programs. Last year the MRFRS sterilized over 8000 cats and kittens. Since its founding in 1992, the organization has assisted over 80,000 cats and kittens.

About PetSmart Charities:
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. More than 400,000 dogs and cats find homes each year through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores and our sponsored adoption events. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding spay/neuter services that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, separate from PetSmart, Inc.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?