The Big Picture

So, I posted something about a cat that was pregnant after someone reached out to me to see if I could find a home for this pregnant cat, that would eventually have kittens, most likely between 4 and 6 of them.  I posted it as a courtesy on Facebook and had several people start out with 'oh I wish I could, but .... "  - and then I reached out to a rescue group for help - not always expecting the help, but oh so grateful when they do.  I told the girl in the group, that I owe her.  I actually owe a lot to several rescue groups for stepping up for me.  Then there was a comment on this post about having the cat spayed, which meant aborting the fetuses.  Well, that started a huge controversy, with one comment calling the person that stated it an 'asshole'.  Then, when I corrected this person, and asked her to not make such an emotionally charged rude comment, she wound up calling ME an asshole.  And guess what, this girl adopted a kitten from me last year. 

While I am on the fence with the whole abortion issue for humans, and I certainly won't get into it here, when it comes to spaying a pregnant cat, I am for it.  I have been going out every day of my life for over 20 years and feeding feral, stray and abandoned cats - and doing my best to spay and neuter through TNR.  I also rescue hundreds and find them homes.  And those ones are spayed and neutered.  And so are all the kittens I've rescued over the years.  They don't go to new homes until they are.  But through the years, I've seen more and more cats out there, and its getting worse. 

Just in the past month, I've seen three pregnant females, and rescued two litters of kittens from the streets.  I wish (not really) that I had statistics from shelters locally of their kill rate - cats - kittens ...  I am sure its a horrible number, even if it were just one.

Here are some facts, ma'am. 

We talk to a lot of people who can’t understand why we advocate the spaying of pregnant females, which subsequently aborts her kittens. To explain our stance on this, and many animal welfare organizations like ours, please keep reading.

While it is certainly something we don’t like to do, the truth is that every Spring, the animal shelters, humane societies, and rescues are overloaded with kittens. The sad reality is that many have to be euthanized because there just aren’t enough homes for them all. Signs for Free Kittens will be posted all over the place, kittens will be given to anyone willing to take them, with little value being placed on their lives. Even worse, people get desperate and will dump kittens on the side of the road, left in dumpsters, drowned in creeks or just left to starve and die alone. We see it every Spring. We know it is happening.

There is a safe, humane and proven solution to the feline overpopulation problem. TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return). And while it’s not a fun concept to digest, it is VITAL that we spay/abort a pregnant cat. While no one wants to abort kittens, unfortunately, it is necessary.

Here are the Facts

• When a pregnant cat is allowed to have her kittens, even if good homes are found for them, you can bet that there are that many bright eyed little fluff balls in the local kill shelters that will have to killed for lack of homes.
• Many kittens born will wind up as Free Kittens. Often these kittens are given away to irresponsible people who allow them to breed, or worse, they are taken for snake food, dog fighting bait or picked up by “bunchers” who sell them to Class B Animal Dealers for use in research. Read more on this.
• Allowing a feral or stray cat to have her kittens can complicate future trapping in the area. Mom might be nursing her dependent kittens and if taken in by someone this would leave her defenseless offspring to starve and fall prey to predators or cruel individuals.
• Often homeless strays or feral cats don’t get the proper nutrition to have a healthy litter. In Spring of 2006, we had a cat give birth in a garage the night before she was to be taken to be spayed. The yowling during birth was horrifying and the next day we had to bury her still-born kittens.
• A homeless female cat has to care for her kittens until she can ween them and teach them how to fend for themselves in a hazardous environment. She will do anything to care for them, even putting her own life in danger. One cat, Toby, was found with a broken leg on the side of the road next to his dead mother who had been hit by a car.

The Big Picture

If you are still not compelled to do right by a pregnant cat and have her spayed, please call us so we can talk. We are here to help you help the cats in need, and while no one wants to think about aborting kittens, the alternative is far worse, killing bright eyed kittens because there just aren’t any homes left for them. By humanely aborting  kittens in-utero, you are helping to find homes for kittens that already exist. It is imperative that we look at the big picture.

We must fix every cat we can, even if the cat is pregnant.