It will not be long before the weather begins to warm. As we head into spring, not only will the flowers begin to blossom.
Every year, unaltered cats everywhere answer nature's call to mate, and the next generation of cats begins. With an average of 2-5 kittens per litter, this number climbs rapidly, and in a very short time the population becomes massive. Unfortunately, many of the kittens born will end up never having a bright, happy future, if they have a future at all.
Many rescue organizations and shelters simply do not have the space and available resources to care for such a volume of kittens. Pregnant cats necessitate close observation and monitoring. Orphaned kittens require regular bottle-feedings. A vast number often come in with injuries caused by cars, other animals, or even humans. Many of these die. In addition, even if they do not have special needs, kittens do not have developed immune systems, and a continuous flow of sick cats places them, at any organization, at severe risk for fatal illnesses.
It is common for feral kittens to have conjunctivitis and upper respiratory infections. Although both illnesses are easily treatable with antibiotics, many shelters do not have the budget to treat all those sick kittens. In addition, feral cats, never having had human contact, often are considered unadoptable. Unless there is a rescue available that can take any of them, chances are extremely good they will be euthanized.
What is it we all can do?
The best thing anyone can do to help curb this problem is to spay and neuter his or her pet, even if the cat never goes outdoors. Pets can be fixed as young as eight weeks, but the average age at which pets are spayed or neutered is four months. Cats as young as five months can get pregnant, therefore it is important to spay or neuter before a first litter is born. Because pet health may vary, please check with your veterinarian to find the best time to spay or neuter. And no, your pet will not get fat. As long as exercise and food intake are maintained he/she will stay as fit and trim as ever.
If there is feral cat colony in the area, practice TNR (trap, neuter, return). TNR means trapping the cats, having them spayed or neutered and vaccinated, and then returning them to back to their habitat. A feral cat's life is not wonderful, but at least they will not create more. In Tehama County, Mill Creek Veterinary Clinic in Los Molinos and Red Bluff Veterinary Clinic in Red Bluff host "Feral Days" once each month. For further information, please call them directly. Also, national organizations such as Spay/USA (800-248-SPAY) and Friends of Animals (800-321-7387) can provide additional information about services and assistance available. Information regarding feral cats can be located at Alley Cat Allies (www.alleycat.org) or 240-482-1980.
One of the best ways to help is to spread the word about the importance of spaying or neutering cats. Talk about pet overpopulation issues. Education is a wonderful first step to solving any problem.
Lastly, besides curbing pet overpopulation, there are many bonus benefits to spaying and neutering. Spaying helps prevent uterine infection and breast cancer. Moreover, anyone who has ever had a female feline go into heat will probably appreciate her not yowling for days on end. Neutering before five months of age helps prevent testicular cancer. Additional benefits are that your male cat will not want to roam, aggression problems can be avoided and he will not be marking his territory by spraying all over the house.
Stray animals can pose a real problem to the overall welfare of individuals and the community as a whole. It has been proven that spaying and neutering provides a powerful means of decreasing the quantity of animals on the streets, thus keeping the community happy and healthy.
The cost of a pet's spay or neuter is substantially less than the cost of having and caring for a litter of kittens, or worse, multiple litters. It also beats the cost of treatment when your cat roams and gets hurt or contracts a disease. In addition, they will be much less likely to get a number of serious health problems that cannot only be life threatening but extremely expensive to treat.
There are no magic easy one-step answers to the very large problem of pet overpopulation. Nevertheless, please do not be part of the problem; please help be part of the solution.
Ronnie Casey is a volunteer with Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter. You can read her blog, Mutts & Moggies, at redbluffdailynews.com.