Anything not so permanent as spaying....

mumtazg38

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This morning I saw the first signs of heat in my cat and am beginning to get worried (absolutely terrified) on how I am going to keep her from acting absolutely terrible. I have had another cat before this one and have seen her through heat many times and also through pregnancy until finally I decided to let a good family friend take the family of cats.

I have been searching high and low for ways to help my cat avoid heat symptoms without losing the ability to eventually get pregnant. It's just that it is against my beliefs to stop an animal from something that it was made to do...it's like taking away the poor things food, but my mother (whom I live with), will not have any of it. So she does not want the cat to go and do what she's gotta do. I am asking...no...begging of the good hearted people of this forum to please help me out here.

I really do not want to take away the birth right of my cat, my mother will not have it if I let her do her thing......I need to meet my mother half-way so what shall I do?

I've heard of contraceptives and they sound dangerous for such a small animal. They're dangerous for us humans...so how can a cat handle such hormonal changes. Plus....I've also heard professional cat breeders don't like to use these things themselves because of the harm it can do to the cat.

I've heard of shots.....but they seem the same as contraceptives.
I've heard of implants....but they sound expensive and also dangerous.

I'm terrified of spaying....because of the fact that the cat will never be able to have kittens afterwards. I just can't swallow that...it's not fair. I plan to move out of my mothers house in two years and am taking the cat with me....and will bring home a male for her so that they can do...what they should be doing. But that is TWO YEARS from now...what do I do till then?

Is there any sort of procedure that can be undone, doesn't harm my cat, will take care of my cats estren and doesn't end up costing us the house?

Please help me....I am stressed and losing hair over all of this.
 

going nova

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I am wondering, why did you give away your previous cat with her kittens? I ask because if you allow this cat to have a litter of kittens, you might encounter the same issues you did with the previous cat.

If you decide to keep the cat and all of the kittens and you do not get them spayed or neutered, you will have many many cats in no time at all since they can inbreed.

I do not know of a safe and non-permanent contraceptive. In my opinion, spaying was the safest option for my cat. In regards to it being a permanent birth control method, I did weigh the pros and the cons for permanent vs. temporary. The ethics of having your cat (or my cat) spayed goes beyond "taking away the birth right". Here are a few ethical issues that I considered when spaying my cat:

As you're probably aware, there are many, many homeless cats left to suffer fates such as being hit by cars, abused by cruel people, starvation, disease, etc. The ethical thing to do, as a rational human being, would be to take responsibility for all of the offspring resulting from your decision to not spay, in order to ensure that the your cats do not suffer the fate of homeless ones. Many breeders have policies in which cats that they have bred may be returned to them if they are no longer wanted by their owners.

When your cat goes into heat, she does not just act terrible. She feels uncomfortable. There are health risks associated with letting your cat go into oestrus repeatedly. One example is pyometra. Pyometra could kill your cat. Even if your cat is allowed to breed, pyometra could still take hold after subsequent cycles and is a risk as long as your cat goes unspayed.

Repeatedly allowing your cat to become pregnant also carries health risks for her. Even professional breeders retire their cats after a period of time.

If you are concerned that your cat will be unhappy if she is not allowed to birth, many spayed cats lead long, healthy, lives and are socially well adjusted.

Weighing all of these considerations, I reached the conclusion that spaying was in the best interest of my cat. You might not agree with me, but I hope that you will at least consider it.

Best of luck ensuring your cats health!
 

glitch

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I say spay her! There are so many unwanted kittens in this world that get put to sleep every day because there are simply not enough homes for them! I can't justify contributing to the problem. I understand not wanting to take away their right to have a family, but its better for the cat to be spayed health wise also! I dont suppose she's purebred either??
 

sol

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The only options you have are contraceptive pills, a contraceptive shot or an implant. The pills and the shot contain the same substance: medroxyprogesterone. Some of the known side effects are diabetes mellitus, pyometra, mammary cancer and bone marrow depression. Pyometra, mammary cancer and bone marrow depression can kill.

The implant, Suprelorin, isn't approved for cats. It's approved for use in over sexual male dogs. Therefor we know nothing about the side effects in cats. I know of one breeder who had an implant injected in one of her young females. That female never retained her fertility.

Know this, every heat your female endures without being bred is one step closer to endometrial hyperplasia, cysts on the ovaries and pyometra. The female uterues do not do well unless it's regulary pregnant. If you can't let her have kittens in the near future the best thing for her health is to have her spayed.
 

urbantigers

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I have to say that I really think the best thing is to spay her. Cats don't have the desire to be mothers in the way that humans do - they dont' get broody. And with the number of cats that get put to sleep every day because they are homeless, I really don't think it's a good thing to allow your cats to ever have kittens.

It's also harmful to their health to go in and out of heat without being bred. By leaving your girl unspayed, you're increasing the chances of her getting pyometra (an infection of the uterus that can be fatal) and certain types of cancer. Spaying her can prevent those from happening so is beneficial to her health.
 

alleygirl

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If your cat is not a pedigreed, you are not going to find anyone in this forum, or on this site that will tell you not to spay her.

There are millions of cats and kittens killed every year in shelters for just that reason. You really should spay her, for her health, and to prevent all those unwanted kittens.

The need or desire to have babies, is a human trait. Your cat couldn't care less.
 

saya

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I'm willing to bet that you're not going to find the answer you want on this forum. Most every one here is a strong promoter of spay/neuter.

Your best bet, however, is probably breeders corner...

good luck
 

AbbysMom

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Hi and welcome to TCS.
You've already gotten some excellent advice.

As mentioned before this site is very pro spay/neuter as mentioned in our Forum Rules:

2. Please make sure to spay and neuter your cat. Unless you are a professional breeder and your cat is part of a professional breeding program, please educate yourself to the importance of spaying and neutering by the time your cat is 4-6 months old. By spaying and neutering you enhance your cat's quality of life and improve his or her health. You are also proving your love for cats because in acting as a responsible pet owner you are minimizing the problem of cat overpopulation.
Here is an article that will explain some of the benefits of spaying to you:

http://www.thecatsite.com/Care/177/S...Your-Cats.html
 

goldenkitty45

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Cats don't have "human" feelings when it comes to having kittens, etc. Its driven by hormones only and they do NOT miss having a litter.

If your cat is not pedigree (or is pet quality pedigree) then he/she should be neutered/spayed.

To allow your cat to go in and out of heat constantly will cause a lot more medical problems in the future. Some examples, early cancers, pyrometria (a very deadly infection of the uterus which will kill her quickly).

There are far too many unwanted kittens sitting in shelters, and even if you find homes for them, how do you know if those kittens are spayed/neutered too? The RESPONSIBLE thing to do is spay her and stop her heat cycles.

From what I've heard/read its NOT a good thing to give her pills to prevent pregnancy. It messes up the cat's system and cats don't have periods and release the eggs like a human - they release the eggs when bred.

If you really love and care about your female, you will take her in to be spayed now. Think of it this way - would you want to see her suffer with infections and die or have her spayed to prevent it?
 

gaylemg

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Originally Posted by mumtazg38

I plan to move out of my mothers house in two years and am taking the cat with me....and will bring home a male for her so that they can do...what they should be doing.
I respectfully recommend that you don't do this. There are too many kittens and cats (as well as dogs and puppies) that have to be killed every day in pounds and shelters to justify breeding just because they can. Your cat will not care one way or the other if she is capable of having babies and she will not miss it a bit. Every dog or cat I have ever had has been spayed/neutered and they are very happy. If you are talking about purebred cats and you are interesting in breeding professionally, that might be a different matter. I don't know what kind of cat you have. If you do breed professionally, make sure that the goal is betterment of the breed, in other words you are striving to breed for strong and healthy purebred cats. Responsible breeders do their part by attempting to breed out genetic defects and breed in healthy traits.
Well, I will get off of my soapbox. I hope you get all the help you need from TCS. I love the advice I get here!
 

tia's mom

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I think you have heard some very good advice here. Cats are good mothers but believe me having kittens is for you not her. I breed professionally and remember my mentors advice when I chose to do this. The cat gets nothing out of this you are doing it solely for your own gain. Whether it be personal satisfaction of monetary. They might be really cute and when it happens it is our responsibility to make sure all kittens have good homes. But you don't seem to have any idea just how many kittens a cat can produce in a lifetime. Please get her spayed.
 

jen

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Going Nove gave you wonderful advice as did everyone else. I can't say it any better. It is HEALTHIER for you to spay her, breeding her is ONLY for your own purpose and gain, not hers. She has no emotional desire to have kittens, plus that is a lot of kittens you will be responsible for. Where do you expect to get a male from that doesn't have any genetic deficiencies when you don't even know the genetic history of your own cat? Don't add to the overpopulation problem. Spay your poor cat and prevent her from suffering through pyometra or cancer.
 

saya

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again, everyone here as a good point, but maybe another one to consider...

how do you intend to properly care for all of these kittens? Feeding and medical expenses alone for my three is a bit much at times.
 

goldenkitty45

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If you don't listen to our advice are you financially prepared to:

1. Feed and care for each litter of kittens for a mininum of 10-12 weeks old? You should keep mom and siblings together that long for a healthy, socially adjusted kitten before they leave.

2. Spay and neuter EVERY kitten that leaves your house? You are responsible for EVERY kitten that you produce!

3. Give 1st and 2nd shots to all the kittens before they leave?

4. Have emergency money if mom has to have a c-section or other complications?

5. Have money to care for orphan kittens if mom cannot nurse them or she dies - this means 24/7 care and every few hours round the clock in feeding the kittens?

6. Willing to take back any of her kittens if the new owners cannot keep them?

7. Test mom and the father of the kittens for any genetic problems, FELV, FIP, heart problems, etc.?

If you cannot do all of the above, then you should spay your female now, cause it will cost a heck of a lot more to let her have kittens!
 

saya

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I'm pretty sure we scared her off guys.

wouldn't be the first time, you crazy cat ladies!!
 

okiron

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Originally Posted by saya

I'm pretty sure we scared her off guys.

wouldn't be the first time, you crazy cat ladies!!
Sad too because everyone was being respectful and not argumentative.
 

saya

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of course. everyone on this site is awesome about treating people with respect and dignity.

I just saw it comin is all...

she obviously wanted someone here to side with her since her mother will not.
 

robertm

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Originally Posted by saya

I'm pretty sure we scared her off guys.

wouldn't be the first time, you crazy cat ladies!!
And crazy cat men!


I see this happening so frequently. Someone new comes here asking for advice. The advice that they are given by very experienced and knowledgeable members is absolutely, positively NOT what they want to hear. So they take the easy way out and bolt, presumably ignoring the recommendations. Human nature, I guess.

I feel bad for the cats who more often than not likely suffer due to the hard-headedness of their owners.
 

sakura

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You don't think it's fair to take away her "right" to have kittens? Cats only reproduce because their instincts tell them to reproduce. Cats are domesticated animals and have been for thousands of years, and with domestication comes overpopulation. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to make her have kittens. You are imposing human emotions on to a cat.

Spaying is best for her health AND your finances (like others have said, are you really going to be able to afford to pay for the vet bills of a pregnant cat and also all the shots and spaying/neutering of the kittens?). Not to mention the thousands of cats that are put to sleep for not having homes and who only exist because people let their pets reproduce. Plus, do you really want a cat in heat around?

Your cat could be responsible for so many kittens that will never have a home. A cat who has 6 kittens a year with a 75% mortality rate (so 1-2 lives), can result in 100-400 kittens at the end of 7 years. Even if you spay/neuter all the kittens (and you don't sound like the type of person who would do that, since you don't want to even spay your own cat), there will be that many more cats contributing to the cat overpopulation problem. http://cats.about.com/od/spayneuter/...plyingCats.htm

Bottom Line: Be a responsible pet owner and take care of your cat. Spay her.

(The OP probably wont' come back to read this but I hope they do. I may not have said it in the nicest way, but I tried to hold back a little....lol).
 
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