A "humane" way of preventing cat's pregancies?

[Cerellia]

Hi,

I love cats and as soon as I have the possibility to provide an appropriate living space for them, I want to get one or two little pet lions.
But obviously, I don't want them to have babies all the time. Castration is not a humane solution, in my opinion. I just don't think it is right to take away another creature's sexuality. Plus, the operation seems to be horrible for the little moggies. Hormone drugs are also out of question: my pets are going to live as natural as I do.
I am thinking about sterilisation: it's a much more gentle operation and it doesn't interfere with their hormonal balance. Most vets don't recomend sterilisation, though. They say that the cats suffer when they are in heat and don't have the chance to "let off steam" (But I would let my cats go outside, where they can do whatever they like). Also, cats that are not castrated tend to get into fights more often und are more likely to run away.
Any suggestions?

[Colorawdo girl]

I might only see one way. Keep the boys and girls apart.

[Cerellia]

Thats difficult when they go outside.

[Colorawdo girl]

Yes I would say so. hmmmmmmm. Tough challenge.

[ruffsongraw]

hi,
little biased here---i worked at an animal hosp for many yrs. while spaying or neutering isnt *nice* it is the only way to ENSURE that you will not add to the enormous pet overpopulation.
female cats in heat are really, truly miserable until they are bred (& they DO wander in search of sexuial partners!). going thru that every 4 - 6 weeks is harder on them and you than one surgery (IMO).

un-neutered male cats SPRAY URINE inside and out, anywhere they want to mark as their own & they also wander in search of mates, and get in bad tom-cat fights that end up causing abscesses & requiring sutures, etc.... Also in these wanderings either one can get hit by a car or attacked/killed by dogs--etc.

for me, and i have 3 indoor cats and 6 outdoor barn cats that are all "fixed", i cannot live with either of the above 2 situations. i love my cats & dont want them to wander or get in tom or get injured or pregnant. also, believe it or not, there are dog STD's (!!) and these may also begin to occur in cats as well at some point (altho i personally have not seen that).

there are of course argumnets out there to the contrary but in every day real life, those things are deal breakers to me.

if there is a sterilization procedure available to you (i know they do vasectomies on ferrets but a vasectimized male cat would still spray and have the dominant/aggressive tom cat territorial/wandering from home hormones, drives & behaviors) then you can try of course, but ask whether that procedure will eliminate the above.
OR if those issues dont bother you....

there arent any good answers to this Q in my opinion. any way you go, there are unpleasant things.

jen

[ruffsongraw]

PS---i want to add, that altho i ADORE my animals, if they are not altered, their main goal in life is to pro-create. that is how God made them & for that reason i think it is unrealistic to attempt to keep males/females apart or indoors or securely contained outdoors. they are motivated by hormones to go and mate and to fight to do so and if they have to jump a fence or dash thru an opened door at the speed of light, or if they are driven to spray urine all over or to meow all night long for a mate, then you have to look at the reality that they live in the here and weigh whether 2 days of surgical pain is less stressful/dangerous for them than a life of yearnings they cannot fulfill or if they DO fulfill them then you've created more....and meanwhile your house is all sprayed....sorry, i ramble.
i live in an area with HUGE pet overpopulation issues. i see live skinny stray dogs eating the carccasses of dead strays that were run over. none are spayed/neutered and they dont have homes or food....i see it every day. its sick. i also see LOTS of hit cats that are also intact and searching for mates....

goodluck.

jen

[Cerellia]

Hi,

Thanks for your detailed reply. I totally agree with you that you can't just let them procreate. If someone wants a cat, s/he should get it from an animal instituation, there is really no need to rear more of them.
As for the castration issue: I really think you are doing more to the animal than a painful operation. I have seen cats totally changing their personality after they have been castrated.
As you said, there isn't a perfect solution.

[rawlight]

I just don't think it is right to take away another creature's sexuality.

I have seen cats totally changing their personality after they have been castrated.
Any suggestions?

I think it's very important not to project our human feelings about castration/spaying onto our animal companions. By bringing them into our homes, we automatically change them. For that reason, we should make their lives as comfortable as possible. If you've ever seen (or heard!) a cat in heat who isn't gettin' any, it's not something you want to experience. It's not the pleasure they are looking for (which is a human emotion) it's release of those procreation urges.

You said you don't want them to have babies all the time. Please don't let them have babies ANY time. There are so many sick, hurt, unwanted cats on the streets, as well as so many in shelters who need homes as it is. Don't perpetuate this already sad and painful situation by having more....

I'm confused though when you say you know uncastrated males fight more and run away, yet you would let them outside? You would be putting them at undo risk wouldn't you? My male cat Kai is just over 12 years old. He's an indoor outdoor cat and spends most days lounging outside in the backyard under a bush or in the sun. There is nothing unhappy or frustrated about my guy. Why would I want to make him spend his life with urges he can't satisfy?

[Veronica01]

My baby is an 8 year old male main coone cat. He's indoor/outdoor and we got him nuetered when he was 6 months old i think. He has never been territorial with other cats or openly been aggressive or fought. He doesn't like confrontation and ignores or walks away from cats he doesn't like. He is the most loving, affectionate and attentive cat i've ever seen or had. He loves even being in the same room as me when he sleeps, or if im outside he'll sleep behind my lawn chair. Often he meows ar me once he's oustide for me to sit there with him. I had to have him declawed too for my last rental place, and it was so sad and i felt so sorry for him but he is truly happy and still mock scratches things occaisionally. And now i dont have to torture him and hold him by trying to clip his claws every week. I don't know, i know he didn't have a perfect life, but he sure is happy. I want to switch him to raw food next. :)

[Cerellia]

To avoid misunderstandings: I'm not going to have my cats having babies.
The three ways, I know, to prevent this are:

1) castration
The removal of the uterus or respectively the testicles. Especially for female cats, it is a major operation. The cats suffer from this operation for about 3 days, but some cats will be sensitive at their belly for the rest of their life.
A castrated animal does not produce any sexual hormones and looses their sexual drive. Along with the prevention of pregnancies go other advantages, such as less rivalty with other cats and a closer relation to their owners (but I wonder if it is right to alter their personality like that). Up to now, any cat I have seen comming back from castration seemed to be emotionally hurt.

2) sterilisation
Instead of removing the reproduction organs, they only cut the oviduct or spermatic ducts. For female cats it is a much more gentle operation.
The animal will still produce sexual hormones and can enjoy sex.
As far as I know, the cats will still get in heat with all the disadvantages that have already been mentioned. But I thought, if the cats can go outside and follow their sexual drive, they won't suffer from the heat (?).

3) The pill
You can mix the anti-baby pill into their food. This drug is very unhealthy and if they don't eat up their food, they are not protected. This option is out of question for me.

[GlimR]

I have nine cats, or they have me, however you want to look at it. They are all kitties who have been rescued as very young kittens and are between eight and twelve years old. All but one are indoor cats and never go outside, even to the vet. Too many animals here are killed by cars or dogs so we have chosen to keep them safe this way. We have one who comes here to the house.....even uses bach's to calm then. They have all been spayed or neutered. They coexist beautifully and as far as I can tell have not now or ever had any emotional damage due to the procedure. If they look "hurt" it is most likely the effect of the anesthesia. None of my kitties have ever had any complication from the surgery either.
I don't believe for one second that it is a disservice to an animal at all and considering the terrible problem of overpopulation of stray cats a very viable solution and IMO the best one for the animal and for its human companion.

Wishing you joy when you and your babes find each other.

[Ilse W.]

I've been "altered" and I don't think I changed in a negative way .
You say castration is unnatural? So is turning an animal into a pet. As long as we do THAT, we should also make sure that we don't create a lot of unwanted animals. That wouldn't be "nice" either. How about you compromise and give a shelter cat a good home? That cat would aready be altered, your conscience would be "clean", but you wouldn't add to the cat overpopulation while making an animal and yourself happy!

[Broken Aquarian]

Cats are domestic animals - their hormones and drives are changed because of selective breeding. They really are not like wild animals and should not have the same privelages as them.

Letting your cat run free, unsupervised is no different than letting your dog run free. It's not ok and it is irresponsible.

If you are a good owner of domestic animals, you will find a way to exercise their need for mental and physical stimulation without putting them in harms way.

My dogs have killed 3 cats in the last year. This would not have happened if people would not allow their cats to roam. These people will never know what happened to their pet. That sounds horrible and cruel, but it's true.


People think cats are great hunters with great instincts - I can tell you that a dog barrelling down on a cat will make it forget everything and freeze. They aren't lions in the savannah - they are domestic animals that don't have the skills of wild ones.

Allowing your animals to keep the hormones(even if they can't breed) is a huge cancer risk. Every time they go into heat - there is a big hormone surge in the body - causes cancers and other health risks. The surges are not comfortable at all and it is a very stressful time for them - both physically and mentally.

Domestic animals are not natural in the least - so they have to be controlled. I personally would want my animal to be as stress free as possible, while also being healthy.

I would have the hormone producing organs removed. Animals do not dwell on the past and they do not miss their testicles/uterus' when gone.

That is a human emotion being projected on the animal. Though, if you go to someone who does a bad job on the surgery, it may cause ongoing health problems for the animal.

Always do your research and shop around for someone to do medical procedures (on you AND your pets) :)

[SmilingRawDancer]

I think you should have your cats spayed and neutered. I think it is one of the facts of this modern life that we have to accept. What is inhumane is having stray cats wandering the streets, getting run over, getting into cat fights, starving to death, dying of diseases and needing homes.

Keep your cats indoors. I have 3 beautiful, healthy and happy cats who have never stepped outside in their lives. They "hunt" each other and all the moths and bugs we have around the house, they eat grass and greens that I bring in for them, and they don't have fleas.


P.S. one of my cats is NOT fixed, and she has tumors/cysts on her stomach from all the hormonal changes. Now she is nearing/at the end of her life, and NOW I wouldn't put her through the surgery, but I wish we would have done it when she was younger. She acts truly miserable when she is in heat.

[Cerellia]

You say castration is unnatural? So is turning an animal into a pet.

Yes, but since cats are hardly able to survive on their own in the "civilised" world, those who have the possibility to provide a shelter, as appropriate as possible, for those who are already there, should do so.

As long as we do THAT, we should also make sure that we don't create a lot of unwanted animals. That wouldn't be "nice" either.

As I said from the beginning, I'm not thinking of letting my cats procreate.

How about you compromise and give a shelter cat a good home? That cat would aready be altered, your conscience would be "clean", but you wouldn't add to the cat overpopulation while making an animal and yourself happy!

Getting the cat from a cat breeder is defenetly out of question, because that would raise the demand in kittens and they would breed more, while there are still a lot homeless cats. But if I adopt a stray cat, it will probably not be castrated and those from the cat shelters are neighter when they are under a certain age.

Cats are domestic animals - their hormones and drives are changed because of selective breeding. They really are not like wild animals and should not have the same privelages as them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felis_silvestris_lybica <--- this is the progenitor of our cats. Does not seem to have changed so much.

People think cats are great hunters with great instincts - I can tell you that a dog barrelling down on a cat will make it forget everything and freeze. They aren't lions in the savannah - they are domestic animals that don't have the skills of wild ones.

Cats can be good hunters if they have learned it from the beginning, most haven't.



I know that cats suffer when they are in heat and can't "get it", but how about if they can "get it" (obviously without the risk of getting pregnant, because they are sterilised)?