Gosh, my title sounds like either a really good sci-fi story or perhaps a bottle of super cleaner. Maybe even a new chant for the PMS warrior. It's actually in reference to Piper and Gracie, who had their girlie parts removed today. They are currently curled up into little orange and black balls, in a semi-comatose state due to the good stuff they received from Dr. Bob. They don't seem any worse for wear, and in fact, their quietness is a welcome change to their usual spastic attacks on our toes, Christmas tree, and leather couches. Peace has landed - although it's only temporary.
Now don't get me wrong, I love kittehs, especially baby kittehs with their soft fuzzy bellies and little pink noses. And, I'm so thankful we found Piper and Gracie because they've brought so much fun and messy chaos into our lives. However, I'm not an advocate of making your own baby kittehs. For every kitteh adopted into a loving home, there are equally many, if no more, without such luck. Millions of kittehs are euthanized each year and this makes me so sad, especially when a good percentage of those little fellas could have been avoided by just spaying and neutering your pet.
When we got Piper and Gracie, it was never even discussed whether or not we'd have them spayed. It's just the right thing to do. I found an interesting article here that talks about the issue of spaying your critter. Here's some highlights:
Reasons To Spay your Cat
When a cat enters her heat cycle she is very annoying, loud, and messy. Spaying ends the heat cycle.
Spayed cats tend to wander less.
Reduces chances of cat developing mammary cancer, especially if spayed before their first heat cycle.
Prevents a common uterine infection, called pyrometra.
Prevents many cancers, such as uterine, and ovarian cancer, since these parts are removed.
May result in a friendlier, less aloof, cat.
A cat who is not breeding will not catch any feline sexually transmitted diseases. Oh my! Gracie does seem to be a bit on the "friendly" side.
In some areas that require licensing of cats, the fees are lower if a cat is spayed.
Spayed cats have longer lifespans.
No risk of complications during pregnancy, or delivery, such as a costly Caesarian section.
In some areas, pregnant cats are sought after for the purposes of sale for euthanasia to be used for veterinary students for dissection.
The cat will not contribute to the large number of unwanted kittens.
Reasons Not To Spay your Cat
There is a small risk of complication or death during surgery, usually due to reaction to the anesthetic. Veterinarians can test cats for allergies prior to surgery.
A purebred, registered cat, who is an excellent example of the breed, and has attended shows to prove such, may be a good cat for breeding purposes.
Obviously, the pros out way the cons and I hope people will do the right thing by having their kitteh's boy and girlie parts removed. I know it's not cheap (it was a little over $200 for my two to be spayed and then given shots) but there should be resources in your community that can help you out. Just call your local vet or even community pet rescues, and they can give you some ideas.
In the words of Bob Barker, "Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered."
