Parturition is the act of giving birth. According to research conducted in 1996 by a scientist, Luke, about 20% or one fifth of the American public believe that a female cat should be allowed to give birth to kittens before being spayed (ovariohysterectomy). Are they correct? The surgery includes the removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Twenty percent of the American public amounts to more than 60 million people (2012). Their attitude, right or wrong, contributes to the cat overpopulation problem because female cats on average give birth to 2.43 litters of 4.3 kittens before being spayed. That is a lot of cats. Some will end up in shelters and live a short, unwanted life before being ‘euthanised’.
Their attitude has profound consequences. It would be nice to find out why people think this and whether they can change their views. Or whether they should change their views. Luke says the research did not provide answers.
However, he speculates that the reason why people have this attitude is:
- ‘..a tendency to anthropomorphize their parental instincts onto their pets’. I can understand this. First, I wonder whether it is mainly women who have this attitude. I certainly don’t like the castration of male cats because I like a male cat to be fully male. I am not sure that is anthropomorphizing a cat. I think it is just that an intact male domestic cat has the full range of male wildcat behaviors that are attractive but…I understand the practical reasons for sterilising. Do women think that to spay a female cat before she has gone through pregnancy and birth will rob her of some of her femininity? Will it change her behavior and make her less sweet natured?
- Some people believe that it is good for a female cat’s long term health if she gives birth before being sterilized.
- The belief that cats should reach sexual maturity before being sterilized. Vets used to give advice that cats should be at least 6 months of age before undergoing the operation. However as at 2007 vets have revised their advice and early age spaying and neutering is now accepted. Is it fully accepted by all vets? Does early age neutering stunt growth and behavioral development?
Doctors Eldridge, Carlson (father and daughter) and Giffin write in their authoritative book1 that a “queen does not need to have a litter of kittens to be psychologically fulfilled or to ‘settle down’ behaviorally”. They recommend spaying at 5-7 months of age before her first heat. The operation is easier on a young cat and it can be done at 7 weeks of age, they write. They go on to say that studies have shown that (a) there are no health problems (b) no long term behavioral issues and (c) the cat might be taller because ‘bone closure rates are delayed” (e) cats are not fatter but the operation might slow the cat’s metabolism so less food is required (and more exercise). Note: indirectly, spaying might, therefore, make cats fatter?
Also by spaying before the cat’s first heat there is a reduction in the occurrence of:
- mammary tumors (by 90%) and the..
- elimination of the possibly of infections and cancers of the uterus.
They also say that spaying a female cat:
- will not change her ‘basic personality’. Note: the authors have hinted that a female cat’s personality might or will be changed in that statement.
- will make the cat less irritable ‘at certain times of the year’
- reduces urine marking
- eliminates heat cycle behavior
Other sources
The Veterinarian’s Guide to Your Cat’s Symptoms says that spaying before first heat ‘is thought to prevent mammary tumors”. So, less certain. As to long term effects they that early neutering ‘has so far’ proved to be safe and effective. But they make the point that this is a relatively new procedure. However the book was published in 1999.
I have found it difficult to find a study that was carried out recently, say in 2012 or 2011 that would shed some light on the long term effects of early spaying of female cats. The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) reported back in 2000. They concluded at that time that “prepubertal gonadectomy” (early spaying) was safe in terms of long term effects at least until 3 years after the operation. I suppose they were playing safe. In a later report of 2004, probably the most recent that we have to hand, the AVMA recommend spaying before 5.5 months of age. They say that both male and female cats were more shy after an early operation.
I couldn’t find anything at all about it on the British Veterinary Association website. As at 1993 British vets had mixed opinions about early sterilisation of cats2.
P.H.Kass referring to Olsen’s study of 2001 and writing in The Welfare of Cats says that long term studies ‘may yet reveal’ health concerns for early spaying.
Conclusion
We have to conclude that at present, when taking into account all the benefits and known and unknown detriments to early pre-first heat spaying, that it is regrettably the right thing to do. Cat caretakers who think it is wrong need to change their minds.
Associated article: Neutering Cats.
Reference:
1.Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Guide page 426 – ISBN 978-0-470-09530-0
2. Messybeast.com
3. Original Flickr photo.
Great comment, Marc. Love it. Don’t apologise. Woodsman is what is wrong about America and as you say, and as I have said in the past, the reason why some people hate America (by the way, despite Woodsman and his kind, I still like America). How did Woodsman get to where he is? His parents and their parents taught him all this rubbish. It is deeply engrained and the sort of attitude is one reason why declawing in America is part of cat ownership in what should be a much more civilized country. Declawing and shooting cats is a blot on the American landscape.
Dear all, I apologize for the shocking comments I have made. I wont do it again, that I promise. Marc in Switz
Woodsman, being a human, which I assume you are, you are why the rest of the world hates America for a start. You probably think god gave you your land or something stupid like that. You are the reason why I am embarassed to be human, especially in the eyes of animals. How do you treat women in your mind? I shudder to think. This has nothing to do with cats actually. You are just clearly a bad person. I never used to believe in bad people but I have been forced into it by the likes of yourself. I used to try and be diplomatic in the way I argue, but I have also given that up with the likes of you on this planet. Infact I can be very reasonable when it comes to arguing but when somebody like you shows up I dont see the point. The world would be a much better place without you, and there is no question of that. Go ahead and die, I doubt many people would miss you. You probably have a few beer drinking women hating gun slinging friends who would miss you but then they should probably go with you. And so should your parents, for having you in the first place. Or did they get rid of you because you are such a total dick. Everyone is probably polite to you and writes you off as crazy. Sorry, not me. Since you are such an angry idiot, I figure if I can make you more angry, all the better. Why dont you go out and shoot some cats to make yourself feel better now eh. Or maybe, even better, this will appeal to your sense of humour because I am angry and you like that. WOW what a great life you must have if you get off on that. Seriously man, did your father abuse you? I hope so. Seriously, dont go to the cinema, you might scare people. Oh, sorry, you probably live somewhere people are inbred because there aren’t enough women. Seriously, have you slept with your mother. Maybe you had to hold a gun to her head to shut her up eh. Go away and dont come back. Go to a mental home. It might help. PLEASE dont have children. The poor woman, and poor children. You would be better to go live away from all people for the safety of your community, if you even have one. Oh wait. Do you sleep with animals? Sorry, I make too many assumptions that you are infact human. I hope you dont abuse children too. That really is the worst. Animals and children are innocent. Please just stay away from them and keep your **** in your pants okay?! Please. Can’t you shoot targets or something? Is that not enough? Oh wait, maybe you arent fully human because maybe your mum didnt go with a man, but one of those dogs you probably have chained in your backyard. Thats it! I got it now. You really should talk to your mum about that because its just not clean. Her face is on the side which is covered in scars and bruises, incase you were wondering. STOP hitting her anyway. Isnt it enough that you and the guys get with her every weekend. Enough is enough man. Whats gonna happen when your buddies arent attracted to her anymore. Back to the animals I guess. Always the innocent ones. And while you are at it. Tell your dad to go turn himself in for creating you. Because you really suck so badly there are no words to say it like it is. Infact your form of sterilizing could be quite useful. First your parents, then your kids, wife (if a woman can stand to live with you which I doubt very much, especially because you drink too much) – and of course lastly, yourself. Because you probably should know that if you ‘sterilize’ yourself first, you wont be able to do the rest of your familly. Do you know why that is? Huh? Clever man! Did you go to school? I bet you didnt even live near a school. Were you homeschooled? Did you leave when you were 16? I bet you gone dun sum purdy dum shit in yo life boy. Thats probably why you drink so much cuz you dun feel so good about yourself and all those women who leave you. Are you sad and alone, or do you spend alot of time with the guys. You should shower with them too. People need hugs you know. Just dont bend over for the soap cuz you cant trust those guys. I bet you are a god fearing man. How else could you forgive all those bad thangs you did. God is good for that. He will let you do just about anything and forgive you after. If the nearest church wasnt 50 miles away you could go and get touched by the priest like when you were little. I know it was because he loved you. It was love. Pure love, I know. He just had to touch you so that you would know how much he loved you right.
Or did you sterilize him too. The one thing I truly dont understand, is how you manage to use a computer. But then the jokes on me, because clearly you are more clever than I could have thunk.
SORRY michael. I am sick of reading about patroitic gun slinging Americans who behave like gods in the face of nature and I am tired of politely turning away from them which I have always done until about 6 months ago when I just got tired of neandertholes with guns. Take thiert guns away and they wont feel like men anymore. I’d love to see this guy try and get near a cat. No gun and he is nothing. I have been shamefully rude and feel free to delete this because I wont be at all offended, it’s terribly offensive what I have said.
I think this article is very interesting and poigniant. I have a friend who is one of those 20% and am trying to slowly turn her round because I love her cats very much and I feel they suffer from giving birth every year. She needs to know that if she wants to procreate, she doesn’t HAVE to have babies because humans in the modern world dont anymore. So why should her cats HAVE to have babies if they want to satisfy what is a far more physically consuming urge. We live in Switzerland, and there are not enough cats to go around and people always take her kittens. If it were the USA I would have given it to her straight and said no way, stop it now. She refuses to ‘take away their womanhood’. However if this was the 16th century and there was no such thing as contraception, then perhaps she would look at it a little differently. I have managed some changes in her, warning her about the dangers of cancer etc for her 2 lady cats. I love them very much and will no doubt be much sadder than she when they die. She is a very nice and open person, she just has not thought about it properly I think. She is also a friend and lets me bring her cats healthy food and attention they crave so I dont want to upset that balance because her ladies need me now. She will otherwise just feed them biscuits because, get this, her vet says its fine to only feed dry food!! This makes me very angry and I have warned her without being pushy and now he gives them wet ‘as a treat sometimes’. But she also doesnt want to spend much money. I could argue forever and a day that this is a total failing on her character and bad karma since the rest of her is very commendable as a person but like I said, I dont want to push the balance. I need free access to her cats and kittens so I can give them what they need under the guise of wanting to ‘give them extra special treats’ that she may not deem necessary. Of course in my opinion, to live with an animal who depends on you is to be taken far more seriously such that one should try to know everything there is to know and give the best possible to said animal.
Sorry again for being so rude Michael. It doesnt suite this site actually. In all honesty I shouldnt fly off the handle. Well, at least I might be closer to speaking his language so some genuine communication might have happened. I probably made his day. He is probably going to laugh.
Well said Ruth. He’s a monster. The kind of person who makes the world a worse place for all of us.
to quote
‘You enjoy knowing that something you like goes out and wantonly destroys, tortures, and devastates all the native wildlife etc’
So tell me do you think that people who hunt animals and birds, to use your words…… wantonly torturing and destroying them…… for their own pleasure, should be shot too? If not why not? They know full well that they are taking innocent lives for the simple fact that they can. Animals don’t reason, they follow their instincts and a cat’s instinct is to hunt to survive as is the instinct of all animal species. The invasive ones are the human animals not the animals who were here before us and God help all animals since people like you invaded their planet.
You might also enjoy knowing …
I have deleted this rant as biased and bigoted nonsense…Admin.