LANE COUNTY, OREGON – (February 25, 2025) – February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month and Tuesday, February 25 is World Spay Day, an annual campaign that encourages people to save lives by spaying and neutering companion animals and feral cats.  Greenhill Humane Society works year-round to promote the importance of spaying and neutering and offers spay/neuter services to free-roaming cats. Last year, Greenhill’s surgical team performed over 3,590 spay/neuter surgeries.

In addition to reducing unwanted or unplanned animal pregnancies, spaying or neutering an animal improves the overall behavior and health of animals. Spaying prevents female cats from night-time pacing and loud vocalizations while in heat. Spaying female dogs before their first heat cycle prevents uterine infections, uterine cancer, and breast cancer. Neutering males prevents spraying, humping, aggression, and the urge to roam. It also prevents testicular cancer and prostate gland disease and infections.

“Through education and outreach, Greenhill aims to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of spaying and neutering pets. Spaying and neutering companion animals and community cats helps reduce unwanted births and improve pets’ health,” said Kelly Fleischmann, Greenhill’s Community Engagement Manager. “All dogs, cats, and rabbits are spayed/neutered prior to adoption at Greenhill. Additionally, we spay and neuter free-roaming community cats through our trap-neuter-return (TNR) program, which helps prevent overpopulation and controls the spread of disease.”

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a method of humanely trapping, sterilizing and returning free-roaming cats to live out the rest of their natural lives. This technique has shown to be the most effective and humane solution for feral cat colony management.

Greenhill’s TNR program Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Program (https://www.green-hill.org/spay-and-neuter-resources) started in 2009 and since then has provided over 12,000 surgeries to outdoor, unowned, free-roaming cats in Lane County. The program includes low-cost spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations (FVRCP & Rabies), flea and other parasite treatment, an “ear tip” (the removal of 3/8 of an inch from the right ear which is the universally accepted symbol of a sterilized animal), long-lasting pain medication, education, and free humane trap rental. Financial assistance for caretakers may be available through grant funding or the donations of generous supporters.

Greenhill’s medical care, including the ability to perform spay/neuter surgeries, is supported by generous donors. Monetary donations allow Greenhill Humane Society to provide the Trap-Neuter-Return program to those who need financial assistance. Click here (https://green-hill.org/donate) to donate.

To learn more about Greenhill Humane Society and the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program, visit www.green-hill.org.