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+--- Thread: Cat overpopulation (/Thread-Cat-overpopulation)
Cat overpopulation - bw - 03-23-2012
Here are a few reasons people really should be
more diligent in not letting their cats reproduce.
According to SpayEducation.org one un-spayed female
that has just 4 kittens a year and only two of them being
females can cause over 10,000 kittens in roughly seven
years. That is from one female! Cat overpopulation is a
terrible problem.
That estimate is on the lean side. Did you know cats can
get pregnant as early as 4 months old? Did you know
also that cats can have a litter 2 to 3 times a year at an
average of 4 to 6 kittens at a crack? Even if you find
homes for the kittens you allow to be produced that just
means more cats, already born and in shelters, will die
for the lack of a home.
According to chacha.com there are no exact stats on how
many cats are born each year. But 4 to 5 million are killed
in shelters annually in the USA. The problem is so bad
there are roughly 60 million feral cats running around.
Cats with no home, not in shelters, just running wild,
being starved and spreading diseases. These are statistics
are in the USA. If you live outside the USA do you know
the stats for your country? Maybe it would be worth some
research.
To solve the problem and it IS a problem people need to
assure their cat does not reproduce. Either do not let it run
around when in heat or spay your females. If you have
males that go outside, neuter them so they do not add to
these numbers. If you have both males and females living
in your home, spay and amp; neuter. Again according to chacha.com
there are 15 dogs and 45 cats born for each 1 human born.
Do you think they will all get a home? Be a part of the solution,
not a part of the problem. One litter does make a difference.
Spaying/neutering your cat will make a difference. Just think
if a lot of people did not let their cats reproduce, we could
greatly reduce the number of cats killed in shelters every year!
The numbers vary website to website. But one thing they all
have in common is there is a huge problem. It needs addressed,
now. Be a responsible pet owner, do not allow your cats to breed.
Spay/neuter if you can not be diligent enough any other way.
The solution starts with you. Let's end cat overpopulation.
RE: Cat overpopulation - Ram - 03-23-2012
Many owners have no control over their cats. They just come and go without you knowing what they are up to, then come home pregnant without a marriage.
RE: Cat overpopulation - bw - 03-23-2012
They may let them free roam but the owners DO have control over whether or not the cat is spayed or neutered. If they are going to let the cat roam it should have the snip snip done.
RE: Cat overpopulation - Karenskatz - 03-23-2012
There are more and more low-cost s/n clinics available too, so financial need should not be as much of an excuse. I know they will be more readily available in urban areas thaan out im rural regions, But i know of a few rural countied who have TNR programs aimed at barn cats. If nothing else, at least try to get the males fixed! It's cheaper, and remember; you spay a female cat and you've fixed one cat. You neuter a male cat, and you've fixed many of the female cats in the neighborhood!
RE: Cat overpopulation - Ram - 03-23-2012
(03-23-2012, 06:40 PM)Karenskatz Wrote: you spay a female cat and you've fixed one cat. You neuter a male cat, and you've fixed many of the female cats in the neighborhood!
Make sense. Just like some teen boys in the neighborhood.
RE: Cat overpopulation - bw - 03-23-2012
Karenskatz, again you have backed up something I said in a post about spay & neuter. Low cost clinics, there is no excuse not to have one's pet altered! I like your "you spay a female cat and you've fixed one cat. You neuter a male cat, and you've fixed many of the female cats in the neighborhood!" Good one!
Ram8349, Yep, many teen boys should have been neutered!
RE: Cat overpopulation - lhins - 05-15-2012
My roommate had waited to get his cats fixed. The mother was over a year old and the male cat had grown out of being a kitten and had started trying to mount the female (mother) cat at just a few months old. I told him constantly to get them fixed. After the male cat had pissed on my bed and the couch several times he finally got them fixed. I still can't believe that we didn't end up with kittens because he was definitely one to under-estimate the reproductive capabilities of cats.
RE: Cat overpopulation - Thor - 05-15-2012
(05-15-2012, 12:58 PM)lhins Wrote: My roommate had waited to get his cats fixed. The mother was over a year old and the male cat had grown out of being a kitten and had started trying to mount the female (mother) cat at just a few months old.
That's so wrong!
Is it common for cats to inbreed?
RE: Cat overpopulation - Karenskatz - 05-15-2012
Once the maternal hormones wear off, it's just another cat to her. Generally, male kittens can become sexually active (and will go roaming) about four months old, while females don't go into their first heat until about six months old. Mother Nature's way of preventing mating between siblings.