February is National Spay/Neuter Awareness Month and the local animal shelter wants the public to know spay and neutering coupons are now on sale.

The Pearl River County SPCA will offer spay and neutering coupons at a discount Tuesday, Feb. 26, at their headquarters at 1700 Palestine Road at a cost of $30 for either cats or dogs.

That price will go back to the normal rate of $60 for cats and $80 for dogs the following day.

Maria Diamond, with the Pearl River SPCA, said it is very important that owners have this process done for their pets.

“It helps maintain the health of the pets and it helps control the animal population,” she said.

Diamond noted the Animal Shelter is currently at capacity, which makes it even more important to keep the pet population in control.

“We wouldn’t even need an animal shelter if people would spay and neuter their pets,” she said.

Because of the heavy influx of dogs and cats into the shelter, Diamond said the shelter has to perform many euthanasias.

“We have cut it down a lot from where it used to be due to our spay and neuter program as well as an aggressive adoption program,” she said.

Diamond said the goal is to become a “no-kill” shelter and the public can help with that effort by helping to prevent “all these unwanted puppies and kittens.”

She added the adoption process is not a complicated one, and the fees include spay/neutering as well as the required vaccinations and micro-chipping.

The shelter is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

For more information, contact the Animal Shelter at 601-798-8000. The phone number for the Spay/Neuter Program is 601-798-0307.