Question to other breeders

[sol]

Background: "My" cat association is planning to add a new rule that forbids members to spay/neuter their cats early. Now, I thinks it's madness. No, I don't spay/neuter early, but I don't think it's my associations decision to make, it's my and my vets decision, nobody elses. This new rule might be devistating for future breeding since we do need to import cats so many breeders are thinking about leaving this association and joining some other.

The question: Would you sell a breeding cat to a breeder who doesn't practise early spay/neuter?

 

[goldenkitty45]

Yes, personally I've never spayed/neutered before 6-7 months old. My pet kittens were done at about 6-7 months. The show ones were not neutered till 8 months (if sold as a show alter).

I would not spay/neuter any kitten that was planning on being shown as a kitten. Kitten class is 4-8 months. After that it goes into champtionship at 8 months old.

 

[celestialrags]

I also don't early alter. My vet wont do it and I like the vet, and would have to use different vets and travel over an hour away to the 1 vet I found who will perform the proceedure. Most vets in my area still wont do it and the ones who do charge an outragious fee since they are the only ones who do it they can charge it.
I stress in my contracts that it is required to be done be a certain time and if they don't do it I can and will remove the kitten from their care and fine them, I let them know by signing they are in a legally binding contract and I expect it to be followed or I will take action. I haven't had any problems yet, but i'm just starting too.I just point it out, I don't know what I would acually do if some one was to break the contract and not alter a kitten.

 

[familytimerags]

I am really shocked that a cat association would put such an ignorant rule in effect.
I am a huge advocate of pediatric spaying and neutering, for so many reasons, I can't list them all.
I would suppose my first response would have been, no, I wouldn't sell to a breeder who doesn't early alter, however, I think one has to make the effort to know who they are selling a breeder too, and if they believe they know the ethics of that breeder. One of my mentors and president of one of our local cat clubs, also doesn't early alter, for various reasons mentioned, (finding a vet, that she trusts that will perform early altering), and she screens her pet buyers very thouroughly, she has a pet contract, very much like Celestialrags was speaking of.
So, I guess my final answer, would be yes, I would sell a breeder to another breeder who doesn't early alter, but I would have more reservations. I should also add, I have never sold a breeder as of yet.
When we first began searching for a vet that we felt comfortable with, that would also do early altering, we had difficulty finding one at first. We really believed we would be driving two hours away to a vet we did like, and then back the next day to pick up the kittens.
It turned out, another breeder was able to point me in the direction of several vets that did early alter, the prices varied, but we did find a vet close to us, who we just love. All of our kittens have been early altered and are doing wonderful as young adults.
Our 4 year old male was early altered and he has been a very large, healthy boy.
I am sure everyone has read this before, but I am going to put the link in again. This is an article that Dr. Susan Little wrote. http://www.catvet.homestead.com/EarlyAlter.html
I have emailed her early alter protocol, to many vets in our area, in hopes that pediatric altering, will soon be accepted mainstream.

 

[goldenkitty45]

I too, had a contract on every kitten I sold - most were spayed/neutered as required in my contract on or before the date. And no one that I've sold kittens didn't spay/neuter as scheduled.

 

[sol]

This decision wasn't based on knowledge, quite the contrary, it was based on feelings and tradition. That is very sad. However it's a democratic association so obviously most breeders within the association do FEEL it's wrong to spay/neuter early, but feelings shouldn't rule the association.

I'm very picky with my kitten buyers and the ones that aren't sold for breeding are spayed/neutered when they've matured, I pay for it. I choose to do like this for many reasons, but one of them is that we have to few active studs here so it's worth gold if pet buyers let their HEALTHY male breed just one or two females before he's neutered.

Still, I think it's a stupid decision and I'll happily support a motion for the new rule to be deleted the next time it's time to send motions to the board.