Kitten season is upon us, so we are getting many calls from the public looking for help with momma cats and their litters of kittens. With so many unwanted kittens being born, there is simply no excuse for cat owners not to have their pets neutered, especially given the relatively low cost of the operation. Miriam Anderson of ANVIL has researched this annual kitten crisis, and estimates that each year in Ireland approximately 180,000 unwanted kittens die in their first week of life through hunger and disease, or through cruel treatment by those that find them an inconvenience.
Here in Limerick, we're all too familiar with peoples' chosen methods of disposal. Kittens turn up in rubbish bins and recycling units, or they're retrieved half-drowned in streams and rivers. They're also often simply put in a tied coal bag or fertiliser sack, and thrown up on a hedge in the countryside. Kittens born to stray mums frequently die from disease, or from starvation because their mum is having difficulty nursing. If these kittens go un-altered, the tragic cycle is repeated; one female cat and her offspring can produce an estimated 420,000 cats in only seven years.
Just one litter?
There are many myths about cats - one of which being that a female cat should be allowed to have a litter of kittens before she is spayed. This is simply nonsense. There are no benefits to the cat, and she faces significant health risks both during pregnancy and in giving birth. It is also quite possible that she may not be able to cope with her kittens - particularly if she is a young mother - and she may abandon some or all of the kittens either at birth or within the first few weeks after they are born. Properly rearing kittens is a costly business, as each kitten should be wormed, vaccinated and spayed or neutered. They can also suffer from ailments such as conjunctivitis, which requires additional veterinary treatment. The mother cat herself requires extra care while she is nursing. There is such a glut of kittens at this time of year that there just aren't enough good homes to go around, so unwitting owners may find that their pet's kittens stay with them much longer than anticipated, or they end up having to keep the kittens altogether.
Limerick Animal Welfare are currently caring for cats like Belle, with her litter of five kittens, who are three weeks old today. Belle was a stray and gave birth to her kittens under a trampoline in a back garden. Luckily one of our volunteers was able to give her and her little family a place of refuge and they are all doing well.
Belle
Then we have May, a black and white cat who was handed into our vets with her litter of three female calico kittens, who are two weeks old. On the same day, we got a call about three orphaned kittens - the mother cat had been killed on the road. Luckily, May has taken in these three little orphaned mites in addition to her own kittens, and is proving to be a wonderful mum to them all! The orphaned kittens are three weeks old.
May nursing her own three kittens and three foster kittens
Both Belle's and May's kittens will need to be weaned onto solid food and litter trained in the coming weeks. They also need to be wormed repeatedly, given preventative flea-treatment and will have two sets of vaccinations. Each kitten will also need to be spayed/neutered in the coming months. Belle and May will also be blood-tested, vaccinated, wormed, flea-treated and spayed once their kittens are weaned. Then comes the onerous task of finding loving, responsible homes for them all!
In short, there is no good reason to allow your cat to have kittens, and every good reason to spay/neuter. The same applies to dogs and puppies. This is why LAW supports Spay Week Ireland, the annual pro-spay/neuter publicity campaign, which runs this year from May 25th to June 1st.
Here in Limerick, we're all too familiar with peoples' chosen methods of disposal. Kittens turn up in rubbish bins and recycling units, or they're retrieved half-drowned in streams and rivers. They're also often simply put in a tied coal bag or fertiliser sack, and thrown up on a hedge in the countryside. Kittens born to stray mums frequently die from disease, or from starvation because their mum is having difficulty nursing. If these kittens go un-altered, the tragic cycle is repeated; one female cat and her offspring can produce an estimated 420,000 cats in only seven years.
Just one litter?
There are many myths about cats - one of which being that a female cat should be allowed to have a litter of kittens before she is spayed. This is simply nonsense. There are no benefits to the cat, and she faces significant health risks both during pregnancy and in giving birth. It is also quite possible that she may not be able to cope with her kittens - particularly if she is a young mother - and she may abandon some or all of the kittens either at birth or within the first few weeks after they are born. Properly rearing kittens is a costly business, as each kitten should be wormed, vaccinated and spayed or neutered. They can also suffer from ailments such as conjunctivitis, which requires additional veterinary treatment. The mother cat herself requires extra care while she is nursing. There is such a glut of kittens at this time of year that there just aren't enough good homes to go around, so unwitting owners may find that their pet's kittens stay with them much longer than anticipated, or they end up having to keep the kittens altogether.
Limerick Animal Welfare are currently caring for cats like Belle, with her litter of five kittens, who are three weeks old today. Belle was a stray and gave birth to her kittens under a trampoline in a back garden. Luckily one of our volunteers was able to give her and her little family a place of refuge and they are all doing well.
Belle
Then we have May, a black and white cat who was handed into our vets with her litter of three female calico kittens, who are two weeks old. On the same day, we got a call about three orphaned kittens - the mother cat had been killed on the road. Luckily, May has taken in these three little orphaned mites in addition to her own kittens, and is proving to be a wonderful mum to them all! The orphaned kittens are three weeks old.
May nursing her own three kittens and three foster kittens
Both Belle's and May's kittens will need to be weaned onto solid food and litter trained in the coming weeks. They also need to be wormed repeatedly, given preventative flea-treatment and will have two sets of vaccinations. Each kitten will also need to be spayed/neutered in the coming months. Belle and May will also be blood-tested, vaccinated, wormed, flea-treated and spayed once their kittens are weaned. Then comes the onerous task of finding loving, responsible homes for them all!
In short, there is no good reason to allow your cat to have kittens, and every good reason to spay/neuter. The same applies to dogs and puppies. This is why LAW supports Spay Week Ireland, the annual pro-spay/neuter publicity campaign, which runs this year from May 25th to June 1st.
1 comments:
that is so sad!
i 4 1 am a cat luver! i luv cats! and 2 here that (over and over again) makes me so sad! even if i am 13. i agree something has 2 b done! i thank u 4 speaking. i hope all is well!
from
a cat luver
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