AS the kitten season approaches, may I appeal to anyone thinking of getting a kitten to please be a responsible pet owner by having it spayed or neutered at six months old - there are good reasons why you should.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV) are life threatening diseases for cats and are transmitted through cats saliva, making fighting cats more at risk.

Neutered cats are less likely to get into fights, protect their territory or wander.

Therefore, they are less likely to infect or be infected.

From the age of six months, a healthy female cat can have up to three litters each year, with five or six kittens in each litter.

That adds up to 18 good homes to find each year.

There are no good reasons to let a cat have one litter before spaying. Unlike a person, a cat has no anticipation of motherhood only recognising a kitten when it squeals at her for the first time.

It costs more to feed a pregnant cat and her kittens than to pay for a spaying operation.

So whatever sex of kitten you choose, it is vitally important to have it spayed or neutered, not only for the cat's sake but for your own peace of mind and the expense it can lead to if you don't.

Josephine Hartwood,

Moor Park Avenue,

Bispham.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.