Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic says kittens and puppies can go into heat as early as 4 and 5 months old

Lydia Jordan, Marketing Manager

“Precious, Not Parents” campaign, funded by a grant from PetSmart Charities^®, offers $20 spay/neuter surgeries for puppies and kittens under 6 months old

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (July 16, 2018) – They may be just babies, but kittens as young as 4 months and puppies as young as 5 months are old enough to get pregnant and have their first litter just two months later. “These precious babies shouldn’t be parents at 5 and 6 months old,” says Dr. Gloria Matsushita, staff veterinarian at Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic

That’s why Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic is launching the “Precious, Not Parents” campaign, funded by a grant from PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America. Through the “Precious, Not Parents” campaign, Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic will provide $20 spay and neuter surgeries for up to 200 puppies and kittens age 6 months and younger during the month of August for residents of Larimer and Weld counties in Colorado and Laramie and Albany Counties in Wyoming.

Some pet parents may worry that their pet is too young for this procedure, but spaying and neutering is safe and easy for kittens and puppies as young as 8 to 10 weeks old, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. In fact, Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic has performed thousands of pediatric spay/neuter surgeries since 2007.

“Many owners put off the procedure and wait until the puppy or kitten is 6 to 8 months old,” says Matsushita. “But by then, a litter of puppies or kittens can be born.”

The “Precious, Not Parents” campaign was funded by a PetSmart Charities spay/neuter grant for more than $32,000 that the Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic received from PetSmart Charities earlier this year. With the help of animal welfare partners, such as Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic, PetSmart Charities has facilitated over 1.7 million spay and neuter surgeries in the U.S. since 2009.

This special $20 rate is even less than Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic’s normal subsidized price and is available to all residents of Larimer and Weld counties in Colorado and Laramie and Albany Counties in Wyoming. The clinic is located at 2321 E. Mulberry St., Unit 3, Fort Collins, CO 80524.

Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Shelter: 2321 E. Mulberry St. #1, Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 484-8516 Clinic: 2321 E. Mulberry St. #3, Fort Collins, CO 80524 (970) 484-1861 www.FCCRSNC.org