Kittens vs. cat and other ethical dilemmas of veterinary medicine
By Gina Spadafori
January 14, 2007
When I was writing “Cats For Dummies,” I included a few lines about how if your cat became unexpectedly pregnant you could still spay her, albeit at higher risk and more cost. I wanted people to know what all their options were, so they could make the decision that was right in the situation they in which they found themselves. No value judgment, just the facts.
But the publisher insisted the idea of spaying pregnant cats was too inflammatory — after all, the developing kittens die when the uterus is removed — and so the information was removed before printing. Such is the state of abortion debate in this country: Publishers are so sensitive to repercussions that they won’t even discuss the abortion of kittens in a country where kittens are killed by the barrel at shelters everywhere for want of homes.
What I was writing about was a fairly early spay, when the developing kittens had no chance of survival. But what is a veterinarian to do when faced with a feral cat just days away from giving birth? Over on Dolittler, Dr. Patty offers one such story. (The image of a cat being spayed is from Operation Catnap, the feral cat trap-neuter-release program at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.)
Last year I had two strays move into my home. And I admit I’m pretty willing to take in any cat as long as it is able to get along with everyone else present. If not, I’ll work to find them another home. The first came into heat shortly after moving in and I waited until she was out of heat (indoor only cats) before getting her spayed. The second, well she came with baggage, a few weeks after she moved in, I notice she seemed to have gained a lot of weight. While she was on the thinnish side on arrival, this seemed like a lot of weight. So I took a closer look, saw mammary development and called for a spay ASAP. I had moments of considering raising the litter, but I’m not a cat breeder, my cats are primarily strays and we’ve got plenty. So I didn’t want another litter that would have to struggle to find good homes. So Cindy got spayed while pregnant. Cindy has a good home with me, but I’m still working on trapping the Tom that lives near me that knocked her up and get him fixed. He’s feral so I don’t expect him to move in, but I’m all for trap and release on this guy.
Comment by Alison — January 15, 2007 @ 4:47 pm