- Spaying helps to eliminate over population as well as certain medical problems in dogs and cats.dog image by Michal Tudek from Fotolia.com
The purpose of cat and dog spay laws is to limit the number of unwanted cats and dogs within the Connecticut area. The term spaying is also known as “fixing” and ovariohysterectomy. Spaying is the surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries from a female cat or dog. Dogs and cats are spayed not only to prevent future litters, but to also reduce the risk of pyometra, mammary cancer and ovarian cancer. Pyometra is an infection of the uterus that can develop after estrus or the "heat" cycle in a cat or dog. - Connecticut established the Animal Population Control Program to help people with spaying costs.Connecticut state contour against blurred USA flag image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com
Connecticut's General Assembly created the Animal Population Control Program (APCP), which went into effect on May 22, 1995. The purpose of the APCP is to help pay for the spaying of cats and dogs that are adopted from pounds and shelters within Connecticut. The Commissioner of Agriculture has also created an animal population control account to fund the program. Funding for the program comes from a variety of sources, including pound adoption fees, license plate sales, and donations from private and public sources. - All dogs and cats adopted from a pound must be spayed.cat image by Dwight Davis from Fotolia.com
Under Connecticut law, pounds are prohibited from selling or giving away any cat or dog that has not been spayed unless the person adopting the animal purchases a $45 voucher for future spaying purposes. In other words, the adopting owner needs to make a promise to have his new pet spayed. The voucher will remain valid for 60 days from the day that it is signed by the new dog or cat owner. If it is determined that the dog or cat cannot be spayed for medical reasons, the owner of the voucher shall receive a refund for $45. - The Connecticut Humane Society is not required to pay the $45 pound fee.Cash image by Greg Carpenter from Fotolia.com
While Connecticut residents must pay a $45 fee as a promise to have any cat or dog spayed that they adopt, the Connecticut Humane Society is not required to make this payment, even if the dog or cat still needs to be spayed. However, the Connecticut Humane Society must have the dog or cat spayed before they can legally allow anyone else to adopt it and they must file a report for all animals adopted by them from a pound or shelter with the Animal Population Control Fund. Failure to do so can lead to the termination of the fee exemption by the Commissioner of Agriculture. - Some Connecticut residents don't support the spaying laws.puppy image by Katya Mikhlin from Fotolia.com
Some people in Connecticut do not fully support the laws that require all cats and dogs to be spayed. Some feel that they simply cannot afford the process, and should not be forced incur this expense. Opponents also state that since cats and dogs are technically private property they should be allowed to do what they want with them, including not spaying them for breeding purposes. Those who support the law argue that spaying reduces the number of cats and dogs that are put to sleep each year in Connecticut.
