April is Prevent-a-Litter month-is your pet spayed or neutered? Friends of Animals now offers their low-cost Spay/Neuter Certificates online, so it’s easier than ever to prevent one’s dog or cat from accidental pregnancy, health risks, and behavior problems.

Since 1957, Friends of Animals (FoA) has been on the forefront of the movement to reduce pet overpopulation. The pioneer of the spay/neuter voucher system, FoA helps to sterilize-in cooperation with a national network of affiliated veterinarians-approximately 40,000 animals in the U.S. each year.

“April is the busiest month for spay/neutering,” says FoA Operations Director Bob Orabona, “now using the Internet, it’s even faster and easier to order FoA low-cost spay/neuter certificates.”

A single dog or cat and its offspring can produce 50 or more animals in just one year. The result is too often the abuse, abandonment, and mass euthanasia of these animals. Spaying and neutering prevents this future torment.

And an altered animal is a healthier animal: A dog or cat neutered before six months of age has almost a 100% chance of living prostate and ovarian cancer-free. Neutering a male dog or cat reduces displays of aggression and territorial behavior such as “marking”; a sterilized animal is less likely to wander from home or clamber to escape in order to procreate. A spayed female cat will not serenade her family-and all of the neighborhood tomcats’at 2am, or leave her owner swimming in kittens (and, consequently, vet and pet store bills).

“We’re able to reach people through the Internet who might not know about our services otherwise,”; says Paul Kelley, FoA’s controller and overseer of the online launch. “FoA sold 800 certificates in the first six weeks of the program going online, and that was with no advertising.”

As for convenience, “The ordering process takes just a few minutes, all major credit cards are accepted, and customers receive their certificates in 5-10 days.” Kelley says.

The new online initiative promotes responsible and affordable pet ownership, as well as healthier and happier pets. To participate in the FoA Spay/Neuter Certificate program, visit www.friendsofanimals.org, or call 1-800-321-PETS.