Walkersville, MD– [June 30, 2025] — United Spay Alliance, a national network dedicated to accessible and affordable spay/neuter services, has partnered with Give Them Ten™, a cat advocacy movement, to amplify a crucial message for pet owners: cats should be spayed or neutered before they are 5 months old.
This collaboration is part of the Feline Fix by Five initiative — a public education initiative created by United Spay Alliance to combat the widespread myth that cats should be fully mature before being fixed. In fact, female cats can go into heat and become pregnant as early as 4 months of age. Fixing cats early not only prevents unplanned litters but also improves their long-term health outcomes.
“We’re thrilled to have Give Them Ten’s™ support in spreading this life-saving message,” said Briana Lovell Myers, Executive Director of United Spay Alliance. “Their broad reach and dedication to building cat-caring communities help us educate more people and reduce needless suffering. And with their unforgettable spokes cat, Scooter the Neutered Cat, they deliver the message with humor and heart — making it stick in the best possible way.”
Cats fixed before their first heat cycle have a 91% lower risk of developing mammary cancer, and male cats neutered early are less likely to develop testicular or prostate diseases. Early spay/neuter also reduces problematic behaviors like spraying, aggression, and roaming.
“People are often shocked to learn how early cats can reproduce,” noted Deborah Cribbs, Founder and Leader of the Give Them Ten™ Movement. “By joining forces with United Spay Alliance, we hope to empower more pet owners to act early — before it’s too late.”
Beyond improving individual health and behavior, early spay/neuter also helps reduce the population of free-roaming cats — estimated at 70–100 million in the U.S. — and the number of kittens entering already overcrowded shelters.
To learn more about Feline Fix by Five, visit https://www.unitedspayalliance.org/feline-fix-by-five/.
To join the Give Them Ten Movement™, visit https://www.givethemten.org.
About United Spay Alliance
United Spay Alliance (USA) envisions a future where every cat and dog has a loving home. We work to make this a reality by championing affordable, accessible, and timely spay/neuter services. Through proactive prevention, we aim to stop animal suffering before it begins. USA maintains a nationwide directory of low-cost spay/neuter services, fosters collaboration through the State Leader Network, and empowers veterinarians with programs like HQHVSN wet labs and Feline Fix by Five. In 2024, USA launched United We Spay, a monthly podcast sharing inspiring stories from the spay/neuter movement.
About Give Them Ten™
The Give Them Ten Movement is working to create a nation of cat-caring communities. Funded by the Joanie Bernard Foundation, the movement and its spokes cat, Scooter the Neutered Cat™ seek to improve the lives of cats by creating communities that understand and take action to protect them, including spaying and neutering. More information can be found at GiveThemTen.org.