Why is Neutering Your Pet So Important?
We’d like to introduce you to Sirius.
Sirius was reported to us as a stray in North Milton Keynes. He had been seen mating with a female and we were asked to help. Both were trapped and brought into foster care, and shortly after they were neutered.
This is the difference neutering can make, the first photo is Sirius prior to coming into care, and this one was taken 3 weeks later…
His personality has completed changed, he is now loving and affectionate and makes for a much more suitable family pet. Also, his exterior condition has massively improved, his fur is soft and he is feeling much more like a contented, healthy cat who can relax and do what cats do best – sleep, eat, play and repeat!
Did you know that Sirius could have travelled miles just to find an unneutered female? This increased his risk of being involved in a road traffic accident or getting into fights with other entire toms. It also meant he was much more likely to stray from home and get lost, therefore not having access to regular food, love, vaccinations and veterinary treatment.
This is Rosie.
Rosie was the female Sirius had been seen mating with. Luckily, Rosie was not pregnant.
If Rosie had been pregnant she could have had up to 6 kittens in just one litter! Remaining unneutered means that Rosie could have potentially had up to 3-4 litters in just ONE year… resulting in 18-21 kittens from just ONE female! As you probably know, there are already lots of cats out there needing homes; leaving Rose unneutered would add to that problem.
The photo above shows Rosie frightened and nervous on her first day in care, and this one is her in her new forever home…
If Rosie had of remained a stray, she could have developed health issues from constantly producing kittens. This could have also had a negative health effects on her kittens, which we have seen can lead to the kittens not surviving.
We’d finally like to introduce you to Elsa.
Elsa is famous at MK Cat Rescue, but sadly not for the most positive of reasons.
Elsa was reported to us in January 2016, she was only 5-6 months old and was pregnant. As Elsa’s due date drew closer, she began to show signs of discomfort and was clearly struggling.
Elsa was admitted to the vets in March 2016, for an emergency C section, despite returning back to her foster home with three very healthy kittens, two sadly didn’t make it.
The following day, Elsa was re-admitted to the vets with septicaemia. Due to her medication, this meant Elsa could no longer feed her kittens and they were transferred to another rescue to be hand-reared.
Following this, Elsa had to be tube fed as she struggled to eat and without it would have gone severely downhill.
Luckily, following months of treatment, Elsa made a full recovery and was rehomed in May 2016.
If Elsa had been neutered at four months of age when she reached her sexual maturity, she would never have suffered such horrible circumstances. Poor Elsa was only a kitten herself, and her body wasn’t ready to carry a litter.
If you or someone you know is ever in doubt about neutering, we hope that these stories can help you to make a good decision.
MK Cat Rescue : Passionate about giving cats a second chance 