| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1396.1 | Just my opinion | DRFIX::IVES | | Mon May 23 1988 13:31 | 8 |
| According to our vet, once a cat has had a litter, spaying becomes
a more difficult operation, hence it cost more.
What would you do with the kittens? To have a litter just for
the "fun of it" doesn't seem right (to me.) There are so many
unwanted kittens now.....
Barbara
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| 1396.2 | think about it | SWSNOD::DALY | Serendipity 'R' us | Mon May 23 1988 13:47 | 21 |
| If you do not have homes all ligned up for the new kittens, JUST
DON'T DO IT! Take a look at the number of kittens/cats in this
conference that are looking for homes. Understand that many of
them will end up being put down because nobody wants them. Is this
the sort of thing that you would be setting these kittens up for???
The fact of the matter is that there are just too many kitties,
and not enough homes for them. Look especially at those adoption
notes for adult cats. Some are getting rid of the cat just because
they are moveing and don't feel they want to put up with the hastle
of arranging for the cat at in the new location (heck of a thing
to do to a friend, I'd say!). Therefore, even if you _do_ find a
home for each new fur face, how good a home it is has yet to be
seen. So much for the down side.
On the up side, if you want kittens why don't you "invest" in a
quality pure breed of some sort. Then there is a good chance that
the kittens will be treasured for life. Even if the original owner
is unable to attend to the cat's needs, there is a good chance that
somebody else will want her/him.
Marion
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| 1396.3 | if you want kittens, check a humane society | TALLIS::ROBBINS | | Mon May 23 1988 13:51 | 16 |
| Please, Please, Please do not breed her!
There are so many homeless cats around. So many cats with no one
to feed them, or give them medical attention, much less to love
them!
I understand your desire to have the kittens. They're so adorable,
just irresistable. But, if you want kittens around, go to your
local animal shelter and choose one (or more) from there. Better
yet, choose a slightly older cat, one who is much less likely ever
to find a home, simply because she's grown from a cute little kitten
into a (still beautiful) cat.
Please have your cat spayed! You'd be doing a lot of good for the
feline world.
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| 1396.4 | A litter too late! | LDP::BANGMA | | Mon May 23 1988 14:49 | 17 |
| I agree with all the previous noters. Don't let her have a litter.
And because she is an outdoor cat -- have her spayed immediately!!!
I let my cat have a litter - someone told me that it would make
her a more docile cat after. Not really!!! What I ended up with
is keeping 2 of the 3 kittens she had. (You may get 4 or 5) I found
a good home for one of them, with someone I used to work with, whom
I see regularly at the Vet's. I advertised (even though I wanted
to make sure the kittens were placed with a family I knew) and got
some strange folks on the line, but not many real interested parties.
Anyway, I love all my 4 cats! But they are a handful! Chances
are that you may end up keeping some (or more than you'd like) of
the kittens. Are you ready for that?
Pam
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| 1396.5 | It may be too late to decide! | WRO8A::CORDESJA | | Mon May 23 1988 15:40 | 23 |
| Since she is an indoor/outdoor cat, she may be pregnant already.
Has she been in heat yet? If she has you better keep her inside.
That way if she is not already pregnant, you can have more control
over the situation. She really is TOO YOUNG to have babies of her
own right now. The chances of her having a difficult birth are
greater when she is this age. I would wait and not let her mate
until she is over a year old. (In this same situation, I would
not breed her but spay her. But the decision is yours to make.)
If she is already pregnant, you ought to start getting her ready
for the big day. First, make sure she is healthy and is eating
a balanced diet. Calcium is very important to pregnant cats. Your
vet may recommend a vitamin supplement for her. Also, you will
have to keep her inside or else you run the risk of her finding
her own place to have her kittens, like under the neighbor's house,
or out in a field somewhere. Then you wouldn't be able to find
her to help her, plus, the kittens wouldn't be able to be handled
right away. It is very important for you to handle the babies after
they are born so that they will be amenable to it as adults.
Think about all of this when making your decision.
Jo Ann
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| 1396.6 | DO NOT LET HER HAVE A LITTER -- SPAY INSTEAD! | CYGNUS::KENNEY | | Mon May 23 1988 16:34 | 12 |
| Instead of thinking about letting her have a litter, how about
thinking of all the millions of unwanted kittens and cats that
are euthanized each and every year ?
The problem is that if your cat has a litter and each of her
offspring has a litter ...
Sorry if I sound harsh but I've been placing unwanted animals for
the past 25years and most of the animals that wind up in a shelter
are euthanized. PLEASE have her spayed and enjoy her as a pet .
-- Elizabeth
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| 1396.7 | not a flame- honest :^) | TPVAX2::ROBBINS | | Mon May 23 1988 18:04 | 22 |
|
I realize no one likes to be told what to do or what is best
but please consider having her spayed. I too am involved with
placement and it can be very very depressing at times. To think
of the number of furry little innocents that one has found homes
for and then compare it to the number that are put down can be very
disheartening at times. Right now is kitten season, yes many of
them will find homes because many people have been waiting for kittens
but many will not. I just visited a woman yesterday who works for
a local humane society who at this time has the grand total of 25
cats. Many of them have come to her as strays. All of them were
kittens once but just were not lucky enough to be adopted at that
time. She knows they will probably always be with her as there
isn't that much of a demand for older cats out there. There aren't
enough people out there like that to match the amount of homeless
animals. If you can feel secure that every kitten will have a
loving good home and hopefully be neutered themselves that's good.
But otherwise I know I wouldn't be able to sleep at night worrying
and wondering.
Kim
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| 1396.8 | What happened to Tilly | HEART::JUBB | | Tue May 31 1988 10:17 | 12 |
| Thank you everyone for your advice. We thought long and hard about
Tilly, and decided to do the responsible thing for the sake of other
homeless cats. This morning she went to the vets for her operation.
It seems a shame not to give her the fulfilment of having kittens,
but I know that while we would definitely make sure her kittens
went to good homes (or otherwise keep them), they would probably
take up homes that would have been taken up by kittens with less
conscientious owners. (After all, Tilly herself was an "unwanted"
kitten when we adopted her from Animals in Need).
Ali
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| 1396.9 | Thanks! You probably 'saved' several more. | HILLST::MASON | Explaining is not understanding | Tue May 31 1988 11:34 | 1 |
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| 1396.10 | | CHEFS::TUDORK | Isis & Tarot - the moggie mafia | Tue May 31 1988 12:43 | 3 |
| Thanks - it was generous and unselfish of you to come to that decision.
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| 1396.11 | Hip Hip Hooray! | 58019::GERRY | Go Ahead, make me PURRRR... | Tue May 31 1988 12:56 | 2 |
| Three Cheers!!
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| 1396.12 | What Tilly thought of it all ;*) | HEART::JUBB | | Thu Jun 02 1988 16:18 | 11 |
| Tilly's first reaction when we brought her home after her op. was
to run behind the washing machine (the most impossible place to
extract her from), and stay there for 4 hours so that we couldn't
take her to the vets again.
I was rather worried that she might feel she couldn't trust us any
more, but I woke on Wednesday morning (the next day) with Tilly
lying across my shoulders (her favourite place to wait for breakfast),
so I think she trusts me again ;*).
Ali
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