The city of Los Angeles requires that all cats and dogs be spayed or neutered after the age of four months. (photo courtesy of LA Animal Services)

An anonymous donor has pledged $25,000 in matching funds to donations made to the Spay and Neuter Trust Fund. The donations received will help keep spay and neuter vans on the road.

“This matching grant towards mobile spay and neuter clinics helps ensure that we are able to provide spay and neuter surgeries to pets in underserved communities,” said Brenda Barnette, general manager for LA Animal Services. “It’s also the law in the city of Los Angeles for all cats and dogs to be spayed or neutered after the age of four months.”

There are many benefits to spaying or neutering a dog or cat, including: adding to the longevity of the animal by lowering the risk of certain cancers and other diseases; preventing unwanted litters; decreasing the chances of a pet roaming and as a result, the pet is less likely to escape and get lost or hit by a car; reducing or eliminating male pets from marking objects with urine, while removing heat cycles from female pets; and curbing aggressive behaviors such as fighting or biting.

LA Animal Services offers free-or low cost spay  and neuter certificates and vouchers, which are available online at laspayneuter.com to pet owners who live in the city of Los Angeles. Certificates cover the cost of a companion animal’s sterilization at participating veterinary hospitals, spay/neuter clinics and mobile spay/neuter clinics.

For more information, visit laanimalservices.com/general-information/spay-neuter.