I’ve been wondering this, but never really looked into the matter: Is spaying/neutering really an ethical thing to do? Doesn’t it affect cats in some negative way, besides taking away their ability to reproduce?
I’ve been thinking about adopting cats, which would be sterile anyway, but it doesn’t exactly seem like a nice thing to do if you can avoid it : \
I can’t imagine removing a healthy part of the endocrine system has good results in the long term. If it’s an option, perhaps an ovarian preserving spay, or a vasectomy, would be in order. Though not many vets in the US offer such procedures. If only we could be more like Germany…
I was adopted by a stray kitten and had her spayed when she was old enough. A friend told me I had taken away her “choice” to reproduce. I asked her how many of my cat’s hypothetical offspring she was willing to adopt - there would be I guess an annual litter of four or more to choose from. Yeah no.
In the end I moved countries and gave the cat away. I would never have another one, nice as she was. There’s a family of voles living in my garden, half a dozen frogs in the pond and lots of birds visit my trees. I support them mainly by leaving them to go about their business.
It reduces suffering of potential unwanted offspring and the suffering of local bird populations so I would argue that it’s unethical to not spay or neuter your cat, even if the individual cat suffers a bit from it.
I think there is an interesting argument on whether it’s ethical to keep pets at all however
I had an indoor female cat that I left unfixed. In about three years of getting into heat without getting pregnant, her hormones went wild. She was in constant heat, losing weight, getting gland flare-ups and other serious health problems. In the end I had to have her fixed to save her. If I did it in the beginning, it would have been much less suffering for her.
#1 Pets are like teenagers, they are gonna try to have sex without you knowing.
#2 I don’t think it’s healthy or ethical to keep an animal indoors 24/7. Even pet animals need unstructured (not unsupervised) time outside to have play and use their instinct beyond just taking them for a walk. I’d apply that equal to dogs and cats although it’s probably more important for dogs.
An open area where he can run around is probably best. Depends on where you live and your cat’s preferences. I’ve heard of cats that have no desire to leave the house and others that will dart out the door at any opportunity. If you have an apartment or no fence in the back yard then it’s not a great option. Some cats do like to walk, our neighbors’ cat usually joins us on our nightly walks through the neighborhood. Off a leash of course.
Is it ethical to “adopt” a cat? My cat lives a good life, she is old and healthy and well feed, never having to worry about anything. But it is ethical to own another living being, even if you offer it the best possible life it can have in return? I really don’t know.
But if you do adopt a cat, I think you need to do everything that ensures the cat has a healthy life, like getting shots and check ups etc. Neutering the cat is also an important part of keeping it healthy. After all, it greatly reduces the risk of either gender getting cancer in their reproductive organs and a lot of other issues.
I explained to my cat before his surgery that if he didn't stay a little boy forever, his instincts would drive him to leave home and the life of constant play and treats and being allowed to sleep under the covers with me at night, and he would murder and pillage every creature in the neighborhood and would be an ecological disaster instead of my cute fuzzy boy.
I took his purrs and headbonks as consent. Years later he still seems happy with his lot.
The format gained popularity on TikTok in March 2021, with a video by TikToker bradeazy later becoming a source material for memes in which an extremely unequal exchange is proposed.
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