Senate Bill 778 – An Act Creating
a Statewide Spay/Neuter Fund
Most everyone has seen a cat run across the road while driving, and chances are that cat didn’t have a home. “Feral” cats are free-roaming cats who have no families to care for them, and who must scavenge for food while hiding from predators and dodging cars. These feral cats live difficult lives, and the average lifespan of a stray is only 3 years. They usually end by being hit by cars, attacked by other animals, starve to death, freeze, or succumb to disease.
Here in Massachusetts research shows that we have about 600,000 to 800,000 feral cats in the Commonwealth. Obviously we do not have enough homes for these cats, and once they live in the wild, feral cats rarely make good pets. To solve the problem of pet overpopulation, we need to reduce the birth rates. It is essential that our household pets, both cats and dogs, be spayed or neutered so we don’t contribute to the problem.
If passed, Bill 778 bill would create a Massachusetts Spay and Neuter Fund by adding a voluntary contribution check-box on state income tax forms. The Fund would be used to develop a program to reduce the number of homeless animals through spaying and neutering, specifically by assisting low-income residents to sterilize and vaccinate cats and dogs. Some of the money would be used to educate the public about the importance of spaying and neutering.
Twenty-five other states (including all other New England states) have established similar funds to reduce the number of homeless animals. Seven states generate revenue through voluntary tax check-off donations. Colorado, the first state to pass a tax check-off for spay/neuter assistance, receives approximately $200,000 in donations annually. This money has helped pay for more than 21,000 spay and neuter surgeries in the four years since its inception. New Hampshire’s results are also impressive. In just six years their spay/neuter assistance program reduced euthanasia rates by 77%. Senate Bill 778 would not only help cats and dogs in Massachusetts, but it will help our municipalities (and taxpayers) that are spending thousands of dollars to euthanize unwanted animals.
Learn More, Get Involved
Show your support for state-wide spay and neuter programs by signing a petition.
Read the bill.
Find out who represents you.
Read about the bill’s sponsor, Senator Mark C. Montigny.