Guest post by Jamie Anderson Feb. 25 is the 20th Annual World Spay Day! Veterinarians, animal rescue groups and supporters around the world will offer discounted services and host events to help bring spay/neuter awareness to their communities. Spay/neuter services will be available at many clinics across Canada. Humane Society International will also open two spay/neuter clinics in Quebec from Feb. 25 to 28. The Humane Societies of Toronto and Winnipeg will hold a “Beat the Heat” campaign, offering $20 spays for cats over the month of February. One of the most important reasons to have pets spayed and/or neutered is for population control. (The city of Toronto currently has between 100,000 and 300,000 stray cats.) But did you know there are other benefits? I rescued my cat off the streets of Northern Ontario when he was about a year old. He was skinny, scabby and had patches of fur missing. Over time we got him cleaned up and healthy again, and that’s when he became a real tomcat—smelly, moody and very “amorous” (if you know what I mean). When he was neutered, all that changed. Now he’s a regular couch potato who lives for cuddles, breakfast time and a good laser pointer chase. Barbara Steinhoff, executive director of the Toronto Humane Society says neutering a pet can help prevent territorial marking, aggression and destruction. And, according to the BC SPCA, “spaying a female eliminates the possibility of her developing uterine and/or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer.” Neutering also reduces the likelihood of a male getting prostate cancer. So there are many great reasons to take your critter to be snipped! For World Spay Day events, visit worldspayday.org.