Spring Is In the Air---Time to Spay and Neuter!

Spring is in the air. Trees are beginning to blossom, and (just perhaps) the rainy season is coming to an end. The air is fragrant and everything looks green and beautiful.

The sad news is if you're pet is an unspayed or unneutered cat or dog, it's that time of year to roam, fight, impregnate or get pregnant. How sad that such a glorious season can end in lost or injured animals and so many unwanted litters.

 Each year Sammie's Friends Animal Shelter, the Grass Valley Animal Shelter and AnimalSave collectively take in about 1,000 kittens. If these kittens were wanted, they wouldn't be in a shelter. Several hundred unwanted puppies are taken in by Pound Puppy Rescue, Animal Save, the Grass Valley shelter and Sammie's Friends Animal Shelter each year.

Sometimes people think a litter would be fun to have, or that they need to let their pet have a litter before they spay it. "It'll be easy to find homes for Fluffy's kittens!" These folks are surprised to learn how much work it is to have puppies or kittens. And that no one wants Fluffy's kittens. It's around this time when these babies are brought to the shelter.

Male dogs and cats can smell a female in heat up to a mile away. If you wonder why your unneutered male dog or cat is constantly getting out and running away, this is probably why. Do not underestimate the reproductive urge. It is powerful.

Please give your pets the best Spring present ever — spay or neuter them!

Sammie's Friends has vouchers that Nevada County residents can receive to help pay for the procedure. Anyone who has absolutely no money can call Sammie's Friends at (530) 471-5041, and we will see to it that your dog or cat gets spayed or neutered.

Do it SOON! Spring is prime mating time and about two months from now the puppies and kittens will show up. Are you ready for them?


author Cheryl Wicks is the co-founder and president of Sammie's Friends in Grass Valley. For more information, visit www.sammiesfriends.org.

Top Photo copyright Qole Pejorian via Flickr.com

Who the Heck is Murphy the Cat?

My full name is Murphy Elliott-Caporale.  I lives here at Sammie's Friends Animal Shelter, and this is my Woman Debbie.  I am about two years old in my first cat life.


I am important here in the office and even types. See? cv cv cv. I actually typed that. I'm not typing this blog though. Even typings just this little bit leaves me exhausted.

I'm here when cats comes in to get spayed and neutered. I welcome them and tell them they are going to be okay. I help my people when they use phones and spreadsheets. So many calls all day. People looking for their lost cats and dogs. (Dogs. Who cares.) I'm glad they won't have to have kittens. Kittens are a lot of work. 

The Man makes pages that shows all the dogs and cats and horses (what's a horse?) and chickens, and roosters (I know what roosters is---we had one in the office.) that comes into the shelter and goes out. Everyone finds a home. Yay!

Sometimes after a hard day, I has to have a mocha.

When I came to Sammie's Friends I had a problem with my nerves. Some motor problem thing made me walk kinda funny. My Womans, and my Mans all love me. I think they're nice too. I think I might be pretty lucky. Some peoples wouldn't have loved a wobbly cat so much.

Follow Murphy on Facebook!