Desexing our cat tomorrow - I'm stressed!!

[Lady Sedai]

A comment from me based on Dirty Meg's reaction to spaying/neutering domestic animals:

Hon...it's truly *not* mutilation. If it were, do you feel the same way about humans who choose to have their tubes tied/hysterectomies and, for the males, vasectomies? It's the same thing. And other than a few days *possible* discomfort, the benefits to the animal FAR outweigh any other concerns.

It is out of love and concern for our pets that we do this.

As pointed out, though, declawing is another story. *shudder*

Meg, please don't judge those of us who know spaying/neutering is the *best* alternative for our domesticated furry friends. I've seen too many cats & dogs go feral and live horrible nasty lives, spreading sickness and disease, starving to death, etc. and I couldn't do a thing for them. Those that I *can* "tame down" get the same treatment, though: a trip to the vet for tests (FIV/FELV are RAMPANT in our outdoor cat population in my neighborhood), vaccinations and spaying/neutering. This way, they can continue to be outside cats, yet be healthier and happier. One less stress on them is not having to worry about reproducing and figuring out how to feed *more* babies.

[ 12-09-2004, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: Lady Sedai ]

[Sythe]

Couldn't you make your cat more of an "indoor" cat. And if you do have a female cat and it comes home with a package in her belly. Can you not send the cutie kittens to some people. To a family that wants a pet or to some of your cousins, nieces or nephews as a present? Or just put them up in a shelter?

As you can see I support Meg hundered ten percent on this one. I can't fathom the thought from making my cat from a he into an "it"...

(Sorry if that had mentioned already.)

[Cloudbringer]

Sythe, the sad thing is that in this country alone there are MILLIONS of unwanted pets and not nearly enough homes that want or are willing to take them! Millions of them are put to death each year in shelters because there aren't enough homes to send them to. Besides which, it sounds like Australia requires the kitty to be fixed.

Trust me, Mems and his sister don't want a yowling cat in heat every month and the trouble of containing her, either. Nor would all their friends appreciate being asked repeatedly to take on any kittens she produced if she got out.

[Lady Sedai]

Originally posted by Sythe: Couldn't you make your cat more of an "indoor" cat. And if you do have a female cat and it comes home with a package in her belly. Can you not send the cutie kittens to some people. To a family that wants a pet or to some of your cousins, nieces or nephews as a present? Or just put them up in a shelter? As you can see I support Meg hundered ten percent on this one. I can't fathom the thought from making my cat from a he into an "it"... (Sorry if that had mentioned already.)

Okay...from my point of view, I'll address each of your points. [img]smile.gif[/img]

First - I will say that I have 6 cats, all indoors. But there are also "strays" that drop by my house for something to eat. I cannot possibly take in more cats (physically into my home), but neither can I watch them starve if I have a little extra cat food I can give them.

As to leaving a viable female out of doors and risking her coming home with a "family"...that's exactly why I have 6 cats and not 4...and why my mother has 3 and not 1. I took in a female that an outdoor male "brought home", LOL. I took her in and gave her and her babies a home. When I took the mother and the male to the vet after the kittens were weaned, the father had FIV and had to be put down *immediately*. It broke my heart. He was the sweetest cat. He'd been coming 'round my home for TWO YEARS. I watched him grow up. And he is why I found out that we had disease in our outdoor pets. Now, knowing this disease can be spread from mother to kittens, would *you* just let your female run loose and risk her having babies that would be sick and die or have to be put down or spread such a disease further? I'd rather have the cats fixed before they could breed.

As to giving kittens to family/friends...there are only so many people you know and after a year or two or three, you've still got a female having kittens and no one left you can get to adopt them.

Now...to the most important point: that of giving the unwanted babies to a shelter...Yes, it's at least better than them dying in the wild. But! (and that's a *big* but )...If they are *not* adopted, they will be put down. Why not lessen the numbers of unwanted lives that have to be euthanized? Also, are you not aware that, if you adopt a cat/kitten or dog/puppy from a pound, they REQUIRE you to have them fixed?

Easier to go ahead and have a medical procedure before bringing more unwanted or homeless babies into the world. Now if it were that easy to do with humans...(but that's *another* thread altogether. )

[Lady Sedai]

Well, dangit! Cloudy managed to say what I did only more eloquently and with less of a ramble. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Aelia Jusa]

Unless you think that human females who have hysterectomies and human males who have vasectomies are no longer hes and shes but 'its', then the 'I can't make my little girl cat an 'it'' argument is ridiculous. There are hundreds of unwanted cats and dogs that to deliberately add more because you haven't had your pet cat spayed is completely irresponsible and way more cruel than desexing your animal. I'm sure after the 6th or 7th litter you'd be running out of relatives to foist unwanted pets onto don't you think? Put them up in a shelter? Yes, what a super idea, they could live in a cage for a while (and they WOULD be desexed in a shelter) until they either find a new home (by no means certain) or it becomes untenable to keep them and they'd be put down. Nice. Having a female cat in heat when they're an indoor pet isn't really all that easy, either. They still want to mate, they just can't get out, so they call and prowl around - having seen my 4 month old kitten do this before we had got her desexed (she was very precocious! ), it really didn't seem all that pleasant for her. Not having to do that makes her much happier now.

Mem, don't worry! Everyone has given great advice. It won't be that bad [img]smile.gif[/img] . She'll probably be hungry when she gets home, I know Tuppy was. Just make sure she has somewhere soft and cosy to sleep, and maybe give her company. Tuppy has always slept with me in my bed, but she never used to snuggle up to me until she was desexed, and that night after the operation she burrowed into my belly for comfort, and she's done it ever since.

And yeah, she probably will annoy at her stitches if she doesn't have supervision. You might need to arrange something (I think Cloudy's bandage idea sounds a bit friendlier than the collar! ). I know our dog has done home stitches removal before

On yeah, and edited to add - she is so adorable! I love her little white feet! Why do kittens always look so earnest and worried! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-09-2004, 03:58 PM: Message edited by: Aelia Jusa ]

[Q'alooaith]

Originally posted by Dirty Meg: How can you possibly even consider mutilating an animal against it's will? How would you feel if your parents had done that to you when you were a child, merely because it was more convinient?

**

Best to get rid of the chance of unwanted offspring from your pet's than having to put down the kitty right?


Had three cat's done in the past (Male and Female from the same little and later a stray male). It can help to calm them down and make them more docile, just don't throw her about for a while and she should be fine, try and show your pressence more right after and do not let her outside untill she's healed.

Best to have it done when they are young than waiting, younger cat's tend not to go after the wound so much as older ones.

[ 12-09-2004, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: Q'alooaith ]

[aleph_null1]

Originally posted by Q'alooaith: It can help to calm them down and make them more docile, just don't throw her about for a while and she should be fine, try and show your pressence more right after and do not let her outside untill she's healed.

Excellent advice; the time right after she's fixed, say a week or two, is a really sensitive one, both physically and emotionally, for a cat. Love her and be with her during this time & she'll be wonderful.

[Lady Sedai]

VERY good point, Q'alooaith. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I never really thought about it because I *always* made sure I had a day or two to be with my furry friends after their surgeries, but when I think on it, every one of them are very loving, docile and sweet to me. Probably simply because I was "there" for them after surgery. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Now, how they act towards each other sometimes...

[Q'alooaith]

Try and act like a big mother cat to all the kittens, they bond so much better after a good bath and you get used to the hair's after a while..

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What?


*this is why I disslike auto avatars, make's telling people appart a pain, sorry.. comments where due then*

[ 12-09-2004, 04:31 PM: Message edited by: Q'alooaith ]