To the editor:

April and May are unofficially known as “kitten months,” as the kitten seeds planted by unneutered male cats are birthed by unspayed female cats to the delight of some and dismay of many. Hundreds of these adorable creatures enter the world with no chance of surviving past a year: unwanted, abandoned, victims of cars, dogs, poison and irresponsible pet owners. Cats that are allowed to roam free kill millions of song birds annually, irritate neighbors and are susceptible to viruses and diseases. The lucky ones end up at a shelter or taken in by people who make room in their homes and hearts. The unlucky ones will live a short, hard life of fear, hunger, uncertainty and most likely early death.

Should you want to do the right thing upon finding a stray and assume you can take it to our local shelter, please call ahead first to see if there is space available. Those cute kittens resulting from unneutered cats take up cage space for weeks until they are weaned. Our shelter personnel will do their very best to help both the hapless stray and you, but sometimes their inn is full, as well.

If you live in town and consider your cats to be companion animals, please be a responsible pet parent and keep them indoors. Indoor cats can fully engage in the world via a sunny windowsill, and as a pet owner, you will never experience the angst and guilt of scraping what is left of your child’s best friend off the street.

Kudos to the animal shelter, local veterinarians and SCARF for their educational efforts and for their planned participation in the humane trapping, neutering and return of the feral cat populaton. These devoted animal people also need our help to keep the cat population in Sidney under control. Please do the right thing. Make an appointment today to spay or neuter your cat.

Jody and Gary Reed

Sidney