Why do people let their cats/dogs have babies?

KateLiana27

Thanks for all the replies!

I totally get the preference for a puppy/kitten (though we got our cat as an adult and I actually preferred to see its formed personality and know what I was getting). My annoyance isn't with the people who give these animals homes once they exist, not at all - it's with the people who let their pet have litters in the first place.

So it sounds like the consensus is a combination of:

- misguided belief that one litter is "good" for mother cat/dog

- not bothering to get the pet neutered / not wanting to pay for it (though our vet charges about £45 for cat neuter/spay - I would have thought it costs more than that to raise a litter of kittens?)

- believing that there is an endless supply of good homes for any offspring your pet produces, until you find out otherwise - I think this was the case with my sister's friend (who has since let her cat have another litter and they can't find any homes for the kittens )

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Don't forget religious/ethical beliefs - some will say its wrong to interfere with G*d/Nature.

I think they are the people I would personally like to batter senseless with logic.

barbiedoll

My idiot ex-husband bought me a kitten (8 weeks old and far too young to be removed from her mother but the owners were "going on holiday" and had to get rid of her quickly :mad:) and for some reason, he thought he was a world authority on cat care. He insisted that cats should have at least one litter, I knew this was rubbish and had actually booked her in for neutering but she was already pregnant by the time the appointment came round.

Luckily, she only had 3 kittens, one of which I kept and the other two, who I wouldn't separate, went to my brother's girlfriend and her parents, who had lost their beloved cat to cancer 6 months earlier.

I honestly don't know why people keep breeding their cats, much as kittens are lovely and fluffy, by the time they went to their new homes, I was glad to see the back of them! They had climbed up my curtains and ruined my nets. They chewed all of my houseplants, the litter trays were being filled by the hour and their fun and games at 3am, tearing up and down the stairs with their toys, almost gave me a nervous breakdown ! No wonder these "breeders" off-load their kittens so early. :mad:

I got our last cat from a friend, the cat had belonged to her deceased mother, she was 6 when we got her and she was lovely. Our current cat also came from a friend who decided that she wanted a cat and went to that reliable source of pets...Gumtree! She soon realised after a few months, that the cat was curtailing her holiday and socialising plans so she pleaded with all of her colleagues to take the cat. And I caved in and took her. (Which I'm glad I did, she's loud but lovely!)
I did try for a rescue cat but they wouldn't let us have a kitten without it's mother or a sibling and when we said that we would take an older cat, they said that we couldn't have one because we didn't have a catflap! (We leave the kitchen window open and the cat goes in and out as she pleases)

GracieP

My dogs won't be siring any litters as they don't leave our property without us. However I won't be neutering my dogs because contrary to all the myths that are put around there are way too many serious negative side-effects to their health while the health benefits are extremely limited and the supposed behavioural benefits are proven to be nonsense.

For example;

On the negative side, neutering male dogs
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

Person_one

GracieP wrote: »

My dogs won't be siring any litters as they don't leave our property without us. However I won't be neutering my dogs because contrary to all the myths that are put around there are way too many serious negative side-effects to their health while the health benefits are extremely limited and the supposed behavioural benefits are proven to be nonsense.

Be careful about what you present as truth.

I'd actually agree with you that the health benefits are not all that great for MALE dogs, nobody has 'proven' anything about the behavioural effects, and they vary from dog to dog.

The heath benefits for females can't be denied.

GracieP

Person_one wrote: »

I'd actually agree with you that the health benefits are not all that great for MALE dogs, nobody has 'proven' anything about the behavioural effects, and they vary from dog to dog.

No study has ever shown proven behavioural improvements due to neutering. Most have shown no change and some have shown breed specific disimprovements, especially in females. As well as that, symptoms of geriatric cognitive impairment often present as behavioural problems and this is a condition were risk is increased by gonadectomy.

I researched this extensively before I got my dogs, I started well over a year before I chose them and have since made it my business to stay on top of the current research. We are all told of the benefits of neutering to the animal but the health benefits to males are minuscule while the negative side effects can actually be quite bad and the behavioural improvements are just a myth.

[Deleted User]

I don't know if this is against the rules but I rescued a pregnant cat, so of anyone wants a dark grey/ almost black kitten please inbox me (10 weeks old) Thanks

GracieP

Person_one wrote: »

The heath benefits for females can't be denied.

Actually while there are most certainly clear benefits of spaying, there are also negatives which may be significant depending on the breed and age of the dog and the decision to spay is one that should be made carefully. And if one chooses to spay they should definitely give a lot of thought to the right age to do so at.

On the positive side, spaying female dogs

• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common malignant tumors in female dogs
• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• removes the very small risk (.0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors

On the negative side, spaying female dogs

• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• causes urinary "spay incontinence" in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs spayed before puberty
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

A few years ago I would most likely have decided to spay (at 18-22 months) if I had female dogs but the results of the 2009 study; Exploring mechanisms of sex differences in longevity: lifetime ovary exposure and exceptional longevity in dogs by Waters DJ, Kengeri SS, Clever B, Booth JA, Maras AH, Schlittler DL, Hayek MG, should give anyone cause to think hard on the decision, especially Rottweiler (the breed examined in the study) owners.
"In summary, we found female Rottweilers who kept their ovaries for at least 6 years were 4.6 times more likely to reach exceptional longevity (i.e. live >30 % longer than average) than females with the shortest ovary exposure. Our results support the notion that how long females keep their ovaries determines how long they live."

So while it's too early to say it across the board about females, a possible 30% increase in lifespan (or more accurately a 25% reduction of natural longevity) is a lot to just dismiss without giving it due consideration.

marmitepotato

alwaysskint96 wrote: »

£200?????? My cats (female) cost about £30 each to be done last year, including after op checkups. Obviously dogs might cost lots more

Yup, just had my boxer puppy spayed and it cost £295.

cottonhead

I used to work for the Kennel Club and we were always getting calls from people planning to breed from their dogs. Often because they believed that a lady dog ( I am not allowed to spell out the correct term ! ) 'deserved' the right to be a mother. Often because they wanted to preserve the bloodline of a much loved pet and keep some of its litter themselves and the obviously the people who thought it was a quick and easy way to make money. I remember one man who thought it was only fair to let his dog 'have a bit of fun' ( if you catch my drift) under the mistaken belief that it would calm him down !! I know of a lady whose cat got pregnant really young before she had a chance to take it to the vets and another where a brother and sister cat mated - several times may I add before anything was done about it. Some people just dont care about the wider consequences.