“Pets can’t add or subtract, but they sure can multiply.”

That is the theme of “Prevent-a-Litter” Month, being held in February by the National Humane Society to raise awareness of the need to control the pet population.

As an advertisement from the Ames Animal Shelter says, “They can’t add, they can’t subtract, but they sure can multiply.”

This tendency of pets to reproduce results in millions of unwanted cats and dogs every year.

Statistics provided by the Animal Humane Association show that 52 percent of all animals taken into shelters are put to sleep. According to the Humane Society, more than 10 million animals are accepted by shelters each year in the United States alone. Of those, between 30 and 60 percent are euthanized, depending on the region.

Only 14 percent of the animals coming to her shelter need to be put to sleep, said Lorna Lavender of the Ames Animal Shelter.

She attributed that to the Ames community taking responsibility themselves and not relying on the shelter to prevent unwanted animals Lavender noted that spaying and neutering have other benefits as well.

Pet over-population is a subject everyone needs to think about, she said, because even those without pets are paying for shelters with their taxes.

“Unneutered males show more aggression and territoriality,” she said. “They are much more likely to bite people.”

The local animal shelter has a number of events planned to promote “Prevent-a-Litter” Month.

On Saturday, the Ames Animal Shelter will have a booth set up at North Grand Mall, 2801 Grand Ave., with information on getting pets spayed or neutered, Lavender said. Sylvester the Cat also will be there handing out balloons to the kids.

Residents of Ames will be receiving a promotional insert in their utility bill, and 10-dollar coupons for spay/neuter operations can be found on tables at area restaurants.

A list of local veterinarians is included with the coupon.

The local shelter has printed up thousands of fliers, created display cases and received some local TV and radio airtime to increase awareness of the month in Ames, Lavender said.

So to honor Prevent-a-Litter Month, take heed the immortal words of Bob Barker: “Help control the pet population. Get your pet spayed or neutered.”