It’s the day to spay, help cut back burgeoning pet population

This is Spay Day in Iowa as animal advocates urge pet owners to help snip back the bounding overpopulation of cats and dogs. Tom Colvin, president of the Iowa Federation of Humane Societies, says even if people don’t take their pets in for the procedure today, it’s important that the message be heard. Colvin says there’s a serious pet overpopulation problem in Iowa with more 70-thousand dogs and cats going through Iowa animal shelters every year. Nationally, that’s between five and seven-million. He says getting a pet spayed or neutered does demand a financial commitment, he says the lowest end ranges from 50 dollars for a cat to near 200 dollars for a dog.Pet owners who can’t afford to drop between 50 and 200-dollars for the procedure may be eligible for financial assistance through the Animal Protection Society of Iowa. Colvin says Iowa has a growing problem with an overpopulation of dogs, but the cat problem is even worse.He says cats can have an average of three litters a year with and average of six kittens, which he says adds up to a lot of cats. Colvin, who is director of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, says the Des Moines-based shelter took in about a thousand puppies last year and two-thousand kittens.