Every year, the month of February is dedicated to increasing awareness about birth control for pets: World Sterilization Day on 25 February provides a significant opportunity to reflect on the role of this practice in our society, which plays such a crucial role in the lives of millions of animals.

Cat and dog overpopulation remains a significant and widespread issue in Italy. The full scope of the crisis remains unclear due to the lack of a formal census of stray animals, and available statistics on animals in shelters are inconsistent and incomplete. However, one thing is certain: shelters right across the country are overwhelmed, and every year, thousands of litters are born in uncontrolled conditions, contributing to what is an already critical situation, with many animals either ending up abandoned on the streets or being ‘offered’ for free on the internet.

This problem is deeply rooted in cultural attitudes and can only be addressed through a well-structured, ethical approach to reproductive management. Currently, in Italy, the responsibility is left to individual citizens, which is a wholly unsatisfactory situation.

The lack of uniform policies and the absence of sufficient funding for prevention have worsened the issue in certain areas, especially in southern Italy, where cultural resistance, insufficient veterinary facilities, and financial challenges further complicate matters.

Sterilization is internationally recognized as the most ethical and effective approach to managing animal populations. In countries like the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden, sterilization has been integrated into mainstream cultural practices, facilitated by large-scale sterilization campaigns that are easily accessible and publicly funded. The numerous benefits of sterilization include:

• helping to prevent unplanned litters, thereby reducing the number of animals that end up on the streets, in overcrowded shelters, or in the wrong hands,
• promoting better health for animals, by lowering the risk of reproductive-related diseases and infections,
• decreasing the likelihood of aggressive or territorial behavior, fostering a more harmonious co-existence between animals and their communities,
• helping curb the spread of serious diseases, such as feline leukemia (FeLV), feline immuno-deficiency virus (FIV), and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in cats, and distemper and leishmaniasis in dogs,
• supporting public health by limiting the number of stray animals, which can contribute to traffic accidents and the transmission of zoonotic diseases (illnesses that can spread from animals to humans).

Since 2002, Save the Dogs has carried out nearly 45,000 sterilization procedures on dogs and cats in Romania, which has helped prevent the birth (and subsequent death) of millions of animals.
In Italy, the organization has introduced the “Too Many Puppies” program, offering free sterilization for stray animals and privately-owned pets belonging to people experiencing financial difficulty in specific areas of Campania and Calabria. Thanks to this project, more than 4,090 animals have been sterilized since 2019, effectively reducing the number of animals subjected to a life of hardship or irresponsible ownership.

Looking ahead, the goal is to expand these efforts and convince the authorities to make sterilization accessible nationwide, implementing a well-organized and comprehensive strategy while advocating for policies that are more effective than those currently in place.
It is also essential to create an active network with veterinarians and animal shelters, while raising awareness and encouraging the community to take a more rational and less emotionally driven stance on the reproductive lives of domestic animals.

An effective, sustainable solution to this problem can only be achieved through consistent and effective birth control practices.

Supporting our sterilization campaigns means investing in a future where fewer animals are left to suffer on the streets and in shelters, and more resources can be directed towards ensuring responsible care and successful adoption further down the road.