Animal Refuge Center does not offer spay and neuter services to the community. But we gladly endorse and promote the organizations that do! For more than 35 years, we have done our part to spay and neuter homeless pets and get them to their Forever Homes. Together we can make a difference in the pet overpopulation problem once and for all.

Prevent more. Fix at month four.

More than 70,000 puppies and kittens are born every day in the United States – half are accidents. And when about four million homeless pets are killed in shelters each year, it’s time we took the “oops” out of the equation. But you can help. All you have to do is remember one number: four. As in four months.

Kittens can get pregnant as early as four months and puppies as early as six months, which means a litter of “uh-oh’s” can happen sooner than you think. By spaying and neutering your pet at four months, you can stop the accidents before they happen. And that helps keep animal shelters from crowding, and pets from being killed. Thank you for being part of the solution. Together, we can Save Them All^®.

RESOURCES: NOW IS THE TIME TO SPAY AND NEUTER

There are multiple resources out there: You can reach out to our local Hardin County Animal Shelter and borrow a humane trap, and schedule a surgery with them to get your captured Community Cats altered.

There is Alley Cat Advocates in Louisville and the nationally-acclaimed Alley Cat Allies, founded in 1990, both of whose mission is to provide for the humane treatment of unowned cats by directing a Trap-Neuter-Return Program in the safest, most efficient and cost-effective way possible.

Last but not least, there’s Cookie’s Fund, created in 2016, and run by volunteers of the Animal Refuge Center. This program helps Community Cats by funding low-cost spay and neuter options. This program has spayed and neutered hundreds of cats in Hardin County. Cookie’s Fund is funded solely by donations and YOU can do your part by making a donation HERE.

Many communities have free or low-cost spay/neuter for those who cannot afford the procedure. Contact your veterinarian or local animal shelter to find out what programs are available. Another resource is North Shore Animal League America’s SpayUSA, a national spay/neuter referral network; use the page’s search feature to find clinics by zip code or call call 800-248-SPAY. All of these programs are low cost or no cost spay and neuter resources for our community.

So now you can clearly see the integral part that our community plays in helping to control the pet overpopulation problem in Hardin County, Kentucky. With your help, the Animal Refuge Center can continue to make a difference in the lives of homeless pets…for many years to come.

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Spay and Neuter

Related Links

• ASPCA: Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Programs
• Find a spay/neuter resource near you
• Veterinary Services

Spay neuter is one of the greatest gifts you can provide your pet, your fam­ily and your community. These routine medical procedures not only reduce the number of animals who enter shelters, but they may also prevent medi­cal and behavioral problems from developing in a cat or dog, allowing your pet to lead a longer, healthier and happier life.

Spaying or neutering is unlikely to change a pet’s temperament, basic personality or levels of playfulness and general activity. However, it can reduce the incidence of some behavioral issues, especially sexual behaviors, such as mounting, howling and the urge to roam. And despite what some believe, pets show no signs of “missing” mating or breeding.

The word “spay” refers to the sterilization of female pets. The term “neuter,” while more commonly used to refer to the castration of male pets, can be used to describe the sterilization of either female or male pets through the removal of reproductive organs.

Sterilization directly impacts the number of animals who are killed in our nation’s shelters by reducing the number of pets entering shelters and freeing up homes for homeless pets who are already born. By getting your pet fixed, together we can help a lot more pets Find Forever Homes.

We view spay/neuter as one of the keys to achieving our mission of ending the killing in the nation’s shelters, and our work reflects that view. Here are just a few of the things the Animal Refuge Center is doing to increase the number of animals being spayed and neutered:

• Participating in a national marketing campaign designed to encourage people to fix their pets at four months of age. Called Fix at Four, the campaign has had celebrity support from Eric Stonestreet from “Modern Family” and Linda Hunt from “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
• Promoting trap/neuter/return (TNR) of community cats through our masthead Community cat initiative, Cookie’s Legacy.
• Holding events in targeted communities to promote spaying and neutering of pit bull terriers. Kentucky Humane Society offers FREE spaying and neutering services for pit bull terriers. Click HERE to learn more.
• Supporting spay/neuter programming in Hardin County via grants.

Spay/neuter so they can Find Forever Homes.