Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Mojo on June 05, 2009, 12:19:34 PM
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That it's good for a cat to have one litter before being spayed? I have a friend whos swears blind that his vet and other vets have told him this.
Apparently his old cat "Went mad" because she was spayed without having a litter (I suggested that it was because she came on heat) and I was told that this "mad period" went on for ages.
Thankfully the kitten he has just got (from a family who's cat has had kittens because their other cat had problems down below, and this is why they did not get this cat spayed >:() is a male so they will get it neutered straight away (he also seems tiny for what is apparently 8 weeks old :-[
I did ask if the vet he spoke to was quite old and he said that he had quite a few vets tell him this. I thought it was an old wives tale?!
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I thought only really old ladies believed that one!
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Absolutely no truth in it AT ALL!!!
Female cats don't have maternal feelings until the kittens are born. I've had two cats recently who's owners thought it was best for them to have a litter before spaying. One got a kitten stuck in her birth canal where it died - it blocked all the other kittens who dies in the womb. The mum has partially paralysed back legs now...
another mum we just sorted, she didn't want to spay, but the cat contracted cat flu which passed ot all the kittens who died. The mum died during the birth...
of course many cats give birth successfully, but it is ALWAYS best to spay before you even take the chance that soemthing may happen to the mum and kittens. Not to mention of course the strain it puts on the rescues...
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Why would he say that vets had told him this? That is what I am really confused by. Surely they know better??
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Unfortunately, there are some vets who aren't the saint's they're made out to be in Vets in Practice!!!
Having said that most are AMAZING people who are just stars when it comes to caring for animals.
Your friend may just be saying that a vet told him to back up his argument?
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Desley has a sad story about Blackie who developed mammary cancer which could have been avoided by spaying :(
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,4788.0.html
I like Dr Peters' no-nonsense approach http://ezinearticles.com/?Should-You-Let-Your-Cat-Have-One-Litter-Before-Being-Spayed?&id=2135794
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I am 99% sure a vet would never say that, all of my female cats apart from one have been spayed without having kittens and they are fine, I would say that Gracie Dirty Face who is the only one we have had that had one litter of kittens is now quite skittish and certainly grumpier than any of my others even though she has been spayed now. My vet is actually against cats having kittens at all because he says it compounds the problem of too many cats in rescues etc etc, he was horrified when we took Gracie into him pregnant and was asking us all sorts of questions about how we proposed to find homes for the kittens etc (Gracie was pregnant when she was rescued). I think it is an old wives tale that is still hanging about much the detriment of homeless kittens/cats
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definitely an old wives tale as they used to believe that if you let a female cat have a litter of kittens before spaying you got a 'better cat' ... load of old tosh to be honest and I still hear it from time to time!!
Mind you... its the same as the many old wives tales that go round about male cats as well in that they make bad choices for pets!! must hear that at least twice a day and it drives me round the bend. One day we may find people move with the times and stop believing tales granny told.... well... we can live in hope! :)
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Definitely an old wives tale...My Lola has never had kittens and she is the sweetest, most affectionate cat I know! :Luv:
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and my star who has had a litter is a moody old wotsit!
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Someone told me once that Kylie is prone to putting on weight as dhe must have had a litter at some point. I don't know if she had kittens as obviously she was spayed when I adopted her. Not sure if there is any truth in the weight theory though?
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It's absolute nonsense. I can't believe any vet worth his or her salt would say that, but then again - some aren't worth much. Or maybe your friend got the wrong end of the stick.
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I have also been told this in the past by a vet nurse! Each to there own I suppose, but at least we all know its a load of BS!!! ;)
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Sorry but I think that this is just a total myth and absolute b***ocks. I have had cats for..........hang on a sec, I have to count fingers................... :rofl: 33 years, and I have never had a problem with neutering/spaying at 6 months.
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Sorry but I think that this is just a total myth and absolute b***ocks.
you took the words right out of my mouth
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The only animal we have ever owned that was not neutered was our first labrador. Lovely dog. Dad wanted to keep his manhood for him. When he grew old he grew aggressive. We have never had aggression problems with any of our other animals, all of which were neutered at an appropriate age. the only cat I have ever bred from (a purebred siamese) was neutered after her litter which was produced as the breeder wanted to preserve both her, and the sire's genetic material and both were being neutered.
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As most of us know it is the biggest load of codswollop. Most vets would agree that there is no advantage to delay neutering. In fact delay puts cats lives at risk and can shorten their lives. I have over the years taken in cats that are early neutered and late neutered and there is no difference in the behaviour or size, some early neuters have been sweet and gentle others the they who must be obeyed type. Some early neuters as thin as a rake all their lives and others very rotund and the same for late neuters.
Also I know sometimes people hear what they want to hear.
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Also I know sometimes people hear what they want to hear.
I agree entirely! People are often very quick to claim their argument is backed up by a vet, when it often isn't. I once knew a bloke who refused point blank to have his dog spayed for the first five years of her life because he said he wanted to let her "grow out of her puppy-like behaviours first". I mean honestly - what difference does it make when you spay them? A dog will mature and lose her puppy characteristics as she gets older whether you neauter her after one year or five. I just marked this man down as an imbecile, but it's so sad to see that the cat myth is still being bandied about.
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some early neuters have been sweet and gentle others the they who must be obeyed type.
Prime example of my Ted and Macey. Ted is a very loving big gentle cat, while Macey is a little less accepting of things going on around her, very skittish. They were both neutered at 6 months.
Personaily I feel if the cat is neutered before they have a season they will not get the maternal instinct, therefore they have nothing to miss and pine for once the kittens are gone. Could you imagine giving birth for your baby to be taken away a few months later, must be very confusing :(
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I have also been told this in the past by a vet nurse! Each to there own I suppose, but at least we all know its a load of BS!!! ;)
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the vet nurse at one of our vets is not a cat person - she has said a couple of really horrific things in the past that I have almost passed on to the vet but bottled out.
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It is absolute rubbish but sadly there are a lot of people out there who do keep passing on outdated information. Us rescue types just need to keep hammering home about neutering and hopefully the message will eventually get through to the brain dead types.
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I have also been told this in the past by a vet nurse! Each to there own I suppose, but at least we all know its a load of BS!!! ;)
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the vet nurse at one of our vets is not a cat person - she has said a couple of really horrific things in the past that I have almost passed on to the vet but bottled out.
Angie you bottling out??? OMG I just cant imagine that! :heeee heeee:
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I was talking about a similar thing with my mum yesterday, she had one of her female cats neutered 34 years ago, and the vet tried to persuade her to have a litter first, apparently it used to be cheaper to neuter them after they had a litter - it cost her an extra £5 cos she hadn't had a litter. She was also told that they would never grow and would stay like a kitten all their life cos they were 6-7 months old when neutered and not fully grown - apparently that cat didn't, but I told my mum it was likely just a one off, it hasnt been an issue in any of our kittens that have been done, and I have met adults that were neutered at 8 weeks and they dont look any different size wise.
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You would think it would cost more to neuter after a pregnancy, to wait till the milk had dried up ect :Crazy:
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I am afraid that there are still people out there that believe this BS and the try to justify it in their own minds. I still say that anyone that wnats to believe in this c**p should spend some time mopping up come kitten season, would soon sort them and their stupid ideals out!
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CC, I think the vets theory was that it was easier to find the uterus if the cat had had a litter. Luckily my mum didn't want kittens and willingly paid hte extra money to have her done before she got pregnant.