Interview! Esther Mechler, Founder of Spay USA

"What's the tipping point? What's the age that we could get the veterinarians to agree? The answer seemed to be, by five months."

Esther is back for another episode of the Community Cats Podcast, in which she shares more information on the Feline Fix By Five campaign, an initiative to encourage veterinary practices to spay and neuter cats by five months of age. The campaign has been backed by extensive research into the benefits of fixing cats at what used to be considered a very early stage of development, as female cats can become pregnant by six months of age. Esther and her team are hopeful that the Fix By Five campaign will help drive down the kitten population and give some relief to overwhelmed shelters in areas with long kitten seasons. As of July 2017, the campaign has been officially endorsed by eight national veterinary associations.

To learn more about the campaign, please visit felinefixbyfive.org. You can help spread the word by sharing Feline Fix By Five on social media, or by requesting that your local veterinary practice sign up.