The spay and neuter clinic offered by the Humane Society of Pike County has reached its limit for the fall and is closed out.

Jean Gibson, society corresponding secretary, said the response to the spay and neuter clinic has been so immediate that the funds that were allocated for the fall clinic have been spent.

“We’re very pleased with the response to the clinic this fall,” Gibson said. “This shows that people are catching on to the fact that the best way to control the unwanted animal population in Pike County is through spaying and neutering our dogs and cats.”

Gibson said a running tab on participation in the clinic and, the upcoming appointments that have been made, have made it necessary to close the clinic for the fall.

The Humane Society of Pike County sponsors the annual spay and neuter clinics and pays $40 of each procedure done until the money runs out.

“When all of the appointments have been filled, 300 procedures will have been done,” Gisbons said. “About 300 procedures were done during spring 2008. This year, 600 procedures will have been done and that will greatly reduce the potential for unwanted and abused dogs and cats in Pike County.”

The clinics are offered when the Humane Society of Pike County has about $12,000 available.

“This year, we were fortunate to be able to offer two clinics, one in the spring and the other in the fall,” Gibson said. “We look forward to being able to offer the clinic again in the spring of 2009 because these clinics are making a difference.”

The clinics are offered to residents of Pike County as an effort to curb the stray and unwanted animal population.

According to information released by the American Humane Society, in 10 years, two uncontrolled breeding cats can yield more than 80 million cats.

During the peak of the kitten season, from late April to September, pounds and shelters kill unwanted and abandoned cats at the rate of more than one a minute.

“That’s why spaying and neutering is so important,” Gibson said.

The Humane Society of Pike County is a non-profit organization that depends on membership dues and donations for its operating expenses.