This notice was posted recently on my neighborhood bulletin board -- To people who feed stray cats: Please also take care of spaying or neutering them. While strays have become a problem recognized by the government, little has been done to eliminate it by the most obvious way: providing an inexpensive spaying/neutering service since few people will pay the usual 30,000 yen to as much as 100,000 yen for an operation for a stray cat. What to do! Even rounding them up and disposing of them, a solution which many strongly oppose, is not effective since cats can now produce three or even four litters a year.
It sometimes happens that when a situation seems incomprehensible to the practical Western mind, someone will step in to do what must be done. And so it is that we have Dr. Renate Herold, who has organized Dobutsutachi no Kai, the Animal's Society, which offers low-cost spaying (10,000 yen) and neutering (5,000 yen) for cats and dogs, pets or strays, in the Kanto area. They urge owners to have their pets treated so that they will not produce the litters that will become the next generation of strays. If necessary, members will transport the animals to the cooperating clinic for an additional fee and will even help catch them if necessary. In addition, there is a reasonably priced preventive medicine service including vaccinations. They also organize spaying/neutering campaigns in other areas of Japan.
It is no surprise that they have pets available for adoption, but only when landlords permit them. These pets are all spayed or neutered and vaccinated before going to their new homes. It is essential to treat both males and females. While it is the female that produces kittens, the males' role cannot be overlooked, and during the process, their loud screeches are a neighborhood nuisance.