The season of new life has begun and with it the populations of stray and housed animals rises. Welcoming new cats and dogs to the world can be a beautiful thing, but introducing too many of these beloved pets can cause problems.

According to the Juniata Veterinary Clinic website, “millions of unwanted cats and dogs are euthanized annually due to overpopulation issues.”

The best option to curb this issue, according to many online resources, is to spay and neuter your household pets.

According to the Juniata Veterinary Clinic, when your pet reaches six months of age, they are likely ready to be spayed or neutered.

Remember to consult your vet to ensure your pet is ready for this procedure.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, some benefits of spaying and neutering your pet include:

• Preventing unplanned or unwanted litters;

• Potentially increasing lifespan;

• Preventing uterine infection;

• Reducing the risk of breast cancer and other cancers;

• Reducing urine-marking behaviors.

The risks of spaying and neutering are typically low according to multiple online sources.

Also, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the typical spay or neuter treatment costs are $300 for a dog and $150 for a cat.

Visit https://snapofpa.org/ or the Spay and Neuter Assistance Program of Pennsylvania for low cost options to give your animal the treatment it needs.

Some of the low cost options include the the Pets Come First animal shelter in Centre Hall reached at (814) 364-1725, the Hershire Animal Hospital in Hummelstown reached at (717) 566-3703, the Pet Pantry of Lancaster reached at (717) 983-8878, and the Humane Society of the Harrisburg Area reached at (717) 702-7330.

According to the information given on snapofpa.org, the lower cost options can range from $120 or more to spay/neuter dogs and $95 or more to spay/neuter cats depending on the weight of the animal.

Pets Come First in Centre Hall often serves the low cost spay/neuter needs of the Mifflin and Juniata County areas according to multiple online sources.

Also, visit https://www.centralpahumane.org/spay-neuter of Altoona by calling (814) 201-2245 or emailing wellnesscenter@centralpahumane.org to book an appointment to spay/neuter dogs or cats. The lowest cost for spaying a lower weight female dog (under 50 pounds) is $170 and neutering a lower weight male dog (under 50 pounds) is $155.

The cost at this clinic for spaying a female cat is $120 and neutering a male cat is $80.

Anyone can contact the Nobody’s Cat Foundation of Camp Hill on their Facebook page or by calling (855) 867-4228. This organization is “dedicated to Trap Neuter Return, serving 15 counties in south central Pa. with various resources” according to its Facebook page.

This foundation provides services to Mifflin and surrounding counties in an effort to provide low cost services to all cat owners and those dedicated to spaying/neutering housed or trapped and released cats.

All listed spay/neuter resources can help in addition to any advertised mobile clinics in the resources provided can help your pet become part of the solution to cat and dog overpopulation.

As the late Bob Barker of The Price is Right fame said, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”