More than 300 cats receive care during Humane Animal Rescue’s annual Spay-a-Thon

PITTSBURGH — The Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (HARP) held another successful Spay-a-Thon Monday.

It was the 6th year the rescue held the event that works to reduce the unwanted pet population by spaying or neutering community cats.

This time around, 341 cats had the spay or neuter surgery and received vaccines and other preventative care at no cost to caretakers.

HARP said this was only possible because over 100 people worked together — from veterinarians and veterinarian technicians to animal welfare organizations from across the region.

Part of the reason why HARP says this Spay-a-Thon is so important is because homeless pets can cause property damage, spread disease and quickly overcrowd shelters.

“This is incredibly important for the community and for animal lovers at large,” said Dr. Ariella Samson, HARP’s Executive Director. “One unaltered female cat can have up to 12 kittens in a year, and that’s a low, conservative, number. Within eight years the offspring of a single cat can be over two million cats in offspring.”

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