The spaying and neutering of animals

Improvolone

It's 7:30AM and I should already be at the vet with Misty (cat). I woke up at 7:00AM in order to have enough time to take her to the SPCA in order for her to get spayed. However, despite having the oopertuinity to discuss this for the three weeks that we;ve had this appointment, my girlfriend decides this morning, at 7:00AM, after I've woken up, that she doesn't want the cat to get it done.
"Why?"
"I don't know..."

Granted, it's 7:00AM, she may be extra whiney and not too coherent. However, it is her cat. I will not take her cat to get this done without her full okay, it just wouldn't be right. But you know what? This cat wants to fuck me eveyr time shes in heat, it's absurdly obnoxious. Also, this cat hates people that it doesn't live with. It's a total bitch. I beleive that not only will getting her fixed remove her heat cycle and this obnoxious monthly time from my life, but that it will calm her down when around strangers.
Maybe not tho, honestly, all I care about is how much she annoys me with wanting to have sex with me, and that this operation leads to a happier healthier life from what I've read. I have never had a pet non fixed, so I'm unfamiliar with the life with one.

However, I don't know a whole lot about spaying and neutering. I feel like I'm familiar with the pros of getting it done, as that's pretty much all I can find online about it. As for the cons, the only thing I've found is "I want my pet to have a family" or "I don't want him/her to feel like less of a man/woman", and other non-fact based concepts. Part of what is probably worrying her is that she once had a cat die from this surgery a number of years ago. I'm aware of how common this surgery is, I've had multiple animals spayed and neutered, and this is a very rare occurance.

I don't know what to do right now. Aside from the vast annoyances of the cat, she's also pregnant. This means, that by January, there will be a lil-me in this household. I would be more comfortable with the cat fixed, is all I know.

So- what do y'all know about spaying and neutering, aside from what Bob Barker has told you? Any help... please?

Werrick

"Why?"
"I don't know..."

Not. Good. Enough.

I had a room mate once who had a cat that wasn't fixed and when she went into heat (the cat... not the room mate) she woudl follow me around moaning with her ass in the air. I know what you're going through, believe me.

This is your house and your child as well, if you're living together then you have to deal with the cat. This might be "her" cat, but it's also your cat in that you're just as responsible.

My reaction to her comment about "I don't know..." would be "That's not good enough. This is a logical decision arrived at through reason, you don't get to veto based simply on your 'feelings' because you're having an emotional reaction."

Lay it out the same way you laid it out here and make sure you stress the child on it's way. The cat will be much more willing to deal with a child if it's evened out through being spayed.

Organichu

I was going to respond "the girl's pregnant? He said the cat is pregnant, you fricking dunce!"

Then I reread it and it turns out I'm completely wrong, whomp whomp.




OP: ime, all 'don't spay/neuter' arguments are complete hogwash. I have a crazy-with-80-cats aunt. She pulls in strays from the street (dozens), and refuses to spay or neuter them because she considers it cruel. Then I ask her why it's cruel and she says "they're animals, they should be able to reproduce".

Then I remind her that their reproduction is what puts 50 cats in her 2 bedroom house.

Janson

Unless you want to run the risk of the cat falling pregnant (and cats in heat are likely to try and escape the house at the first available opportunity - I'm assuming she's a housecat and is not allowed outdoors) and producing unwanted kittens, you have her neutered. People really should not be breeding cats unless they are a registered breed and they have the support of a vet. It's really irresponsible otherwise - there are so many strays and cats in adoption homes as it is.

It's not so much the surgery which usually kills animals as it is the anaesthetic - and that is a risk run with ANY operation. Neutering itself is a common and easy procedure.

Fallingman

Unless your girlfriend knows exactly who would take, love, and care for the resulting kittens - I might suggest that its cruel to allow kittens into the world unless you're extremely responsible in finding them homes... There's a reason that the SPCA is never empty.

Improvolone

Fallingman wrote: »

Unless your girlfriend knows exactly who would take, love, and care for the resulting kittens - I might suggest that its cruel to allow kittens into the world unless you're extremely responsible in finding them homes... There's a reason that the SPCA is never empty.

This is easily countered with a "she won't get pregnant, she never goes outside", and to suggest surgery for something to prevent something that might happen accidently, seems off.

Fallingman

Improvolone wrote: »

Fallingman wrote: »

Unless your girlfriend knows exactly who would take, love, and care for the resulting kittens - I might suggest that its cruel to allow kittens into the world unless you're extremely responsible in finding them homes... There's a reason that the SPCA is never empty.

This is easily countered with a "she won't get pregnant, she never goes outside", and to suggest surgery for something to prevent something that might happen accidently, seems off.

I dont know the situation you live in, but when the cats on heat, and realised that you're not about to cowboy up and do the deed - her attention might turn toward escape?

mugginns

Fallingman wrote: »

Improvolone wrote: »

Fallingman wrote: »

Unless your girlfriend knows exactly who would take, love, and care for the resulting kittens - I might suggest that its cruel to allow kittens into the world unless you're extremely responsible in finding them homes... There's a reason that the SPCA is never empty.

This is easily countered with a "she won't get pregnant, she never goes outside", and to suggest surgery for something to prevent something that might happen accidently, seems off.

I dont know the situation you live in, but when the cats on heat, and realised that you're not about to cowboy up and do the deed - her attention might turn toward escape?

Yes, cats in heat just sit at the door howling a ton. They try to run out if you open it.

There really isn't a good reason not to get it fixed, and it may be illegal if you adopted it from a state shelter to not spay / neuter it.

Aoi Tsuki

The benefits for everyone concerned, human and feline, far outweigh the risks. Get the damn cat spayed.

Werrick

Improvolone wrote: »

Fallingman wrote: »

Unless your girlfriend knows exactly who would take, love, and care for the resulting kittens - I might suggest that its cruel to allow kittens into the world unless you're extremely responsible in finding them homes... There's a reason that the SPCA is never empty.

This is easily countered with a "she won't get pregnant, she never goes outside", and to suggest surgery for something to prevent something that might happen accidently, seems off.

How cruel is it to force a cat to go through unsatisfied heat ever month? You think she enjoys it? As far as house cats are concerned, a spayed cat is, by and large, a happier animal. You can ask any veteraniarian and they'll tell you the same thing.

clsCorwin

I live on the second floor of an apartment complex. My cats hang out on the balcony. 2 of them manage to get to ground level, often enough. Fix her now, or else she will escape and get knocked up. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow...

EggyToast

Yeah, more cruel to leave an animal in heat every month if she's *never going to get pregnant ever*.

Just take the cat yourself. That baby is as much yours as hers, so the cat is as much yours as hers. Put your foot down about it -- it's the right thing to do. That cat's not meowing like crazy and trying to hump everything because it's happy.

Everywhereasign

Totally go and get the cat fixed. It *will* make both your lives easier. If she's concerned about it, sit down and talk with her about her concerns. Or watch old Price is Right re-runs and let Bob tell her.

shadowane

Someone said it off handedly, but if she adopted it from an SPCA then she agreed to have it spayed when she did so. I don't know about legality/illegality, but it's a shitty thing not to get your pet spayed or neutered. There are enough animals killed every year without you attempting to add to the problem.

edit: Also, a non-fixed female cat will drop little piles of blood everywhere as she will still have her periods. Do you want to clean that up?

Zeromus

I work at a cat shelter from time to time, and I can honestly tell you that anyone who thinks it's okay to not spay or neuter a cat is a complete and utter idiot.

There are so many reasons to do it and pretty much not a single valid reason not to.

Improvolone

I talked to the SPCA today, and I was told...
They usually charge $10 for a missed appointment, but they will waive that given the circumstance I got put in
Because I didn't call to cancel 24 hours ahead of time (only 30min...), a stray could not get fixed as the time then went to waste
Because we got some work done on Misty about a month ago and we signed a contract and paid our $35 up front, if we don't get the cat fixed, they will refuse service to us on any animal in the future
Come in with my girlfriend and talk to the receptionists about the process so that they can exaplin everything to her and answer any questions

Thanatos

Improvolone wrote: »

I talked to the SPCA today, and I was told...
They usually charge $10 for a missed appointment, but they will waive that given the circumstance I got put in
Because I didn't call to cancel 24 hours ahead of time (only 30min...), a stray could not get fixed as the time then went to waste
Because we got some work done on Misty about a month ago and we signed a contract and paid our $35 up front, if we don't get the cat fixed, they will refuse service to us on any animal in the future
Come in with my girlfriend and talk to the receptionists about the process so that they can exaplin everything to her and answer any questions

Yeah, seems like a good plan.

Seriously, forcing the cat to suffer through heat every month really isn't fair to it. Not to mention the fact that it's not really an "if" she'll get pregnant, it's a "when" she'll get pregnant, because you guys will inevitably, at some point, become lax and allow here to escape.