Why don't people spay/neuter their cats?

cataholic07

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Ugh sorry for the venting but I just don't understand it. There are lots of lower cost clinics and even rescues that will help but a lot of people don't even try to find any help. I see so many unfixed, unchipped cats roaming about, so many posted as lost. Like why? If your cat is fixed they stay closer to home, less risk of cat fights for sure. There has been a study that has unfixed cats roaming as far as 49 blocks from home. That's al ot of traffic to dodge, and people won't know your cat is allowed to roam nor do they want an unfixed cat on their property spraying. A micro-chip means they go back home asap. Kitten season is so overwhelming for rescues and shelters, they shut intakes down frequently because of how full they are. I just don't get it. I even know of some people who refuse to spay/neuter even if it's free. I volunteer in a rescue that deals with over requests to take in at least 50 cats/kittens every day sometimes. It's insanity. If people fixed their cats, then so many cats/kittens who need to be rehomed would actually get a chance. Cause yes you might find good homes for the kittens, but you take away homes from cats/kittens whose owners may not be as nice. You know how many threats we get that they will dump them, or kill them? A LOT. If you love cats.. please.. pleeasssee spay and neuter your cats.
 

Talien

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Ignorance, stupidity, cruelty. Take your pick. Some people somehow manage to not know that it's important, or even think it's healthy for a female Cat to go into heat because "hormones give resistance to disease" or whatever nutjob theory they read from some moron on the internet.
 

Elphaba09

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Ignorance, stupidity, cruelty. Take your pick. Some people somehow manage to not know that it's important, or even think it's healthy for a female Cat to go into heat because "hormones give resistance to disease" or whatever nutjob theory they read from some moron on the internet.
You said it much nicer than I would have!
 

EmersonandEvie

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I have stories about this. My in-laws never fix any of their animals ("too expensive") and yet they've had to twice now pay for emergency surgery for 2 cats due to pyometras...sigh. You'd think they would learn.
 

klunick

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Sister never spayed/neutered her cats. I'd say laziness was her reason. She definitely knew better.
 

LTS3

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I have stories about this. My in-laws never fix any of their animals ("too expensive") and yet they've had to twice now pay for emergency surgery for 2 cats due to pyometras...sigh. You'd think they would learn.

So paying $$$$ for emergency surgery is somehow cheaper than a $$ spay? :headscratch:

There are lots of lower cost clinics and even rescues that will help but a lot of people don't even try to find any help.
Yes but there are people who don't want to bothered looking for such low cost places :dunno: Most shelters and rescue will only adopt out spayed / neutered pets. They'll do the spay / neuter if needed before adopting out. Vets sometimes offer low cost spay / neuter assistance to clients especially those with young kittens and puppies they may have gotten from a friend / neighbor / ad / etc. I know breeders typically include a spay / neuter requirement in their paperwork and require a copy of the spay / neuter certificate but there are probably people who still don't do it for whatever reason.
 

Neko-chan's mama

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Some don't do it because puppies and kittens are "just so cute" . Yes, they are cute. They also need to be fed, have vet care, and the mama dog/cat needs extra food while pregnant and lactating. Also dogs and cats in heat just seem miserable. They smell too.
 

klunick

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Some don't do it because puppies and kittens are "just so cute" . Yes, they are cute. They also need to be fed, have vet care, and the mama dog/cat needs extra food while pregnant and lactating. Also dogs and cats in heat just seem miserable. They smell too.
Not to mention the money one can get from selling said cute puppies and kittens. Profit over responsibility. :ohwell:
 

Willowy

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I wish I could get money for kittens! The vet even spays/neuters them, gives them away for free, and can still barely find homes for them!

Puppies, yeah, you can usually sell puppies, but if you take proper care of them you probably won't break even. Not that most people take proper care of them :/.

I'd say the main reasons people don't spay/neuter are: price, laziness/complacency, and macho nonsense or crackpot health theories.
 

klunick

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I wish I could get money for kittens! The vet even spays/neuters them, gives them away for free, and can still barely find homes for them!

Puppies, yeah, you can usually sell puppies, but if you take proper care of them you probably won't break even. Not that most people take proper care of them :/.

I'd say the main reasons people don't spay/neuter are: price, laziness/complacency, and macho nonsense or crackpot health theories.
When my sister had her 12 kittens and was giving them away, I always felt sick to my stomach because I worried the person wasn't going to take care of them properly. Or get tired of them when they grew up and throw them outside to live. One of our neighbors took a kitten so that made me happy. I even got to cat sit it for a week while they went on vacation. We had named him Popeye because one of his eyes took FOREVER to open so he looked like Popeye the Sailor Man. They renamed him Helmet. :ohwell:
 

Kat0121

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Ignorance. So many do not grasp how many unwanted animals are out there in need of homes and are dying by the thousands.
Apathy. Some know but don't care because you know. What's a few more?
Selfishness. My pet is so cute and wonderful that the world HAS to have more of him/her. It wouldn't be fair to let my pet go without being a mother/father. I can't let their life be incomplete.
Laziness. I have time. She's too young to have kittens/puppies. It will be fine.
Stubbornness. I can't afford to have my pet spayed/neutered but that's OK. I'll just give the puppies/kittens away.
Greed/lack of information. My pet is the cutest ever. Who wouldn't want to pay top dollar for their babies? Papers? What papers? The ones you train puppies on? What about them? If I say they are purebred then they are, right?
 

Tik cat's mum

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I think it's got to be about educating people from what I have seen more people would if they knew the problem's it causes. There's so many that don't realise how young cat's can have kittens. I have let numerous people know about help with cost for neutering. One of my friends said to me about a neighbour's cat "poor little thing she's had kittens and she's still a kitten herself, And I told her she could get her spayed for free" In this case my friend sorted out vouchers for her neighbour and took the cat to the vet for her so laziness was at play here but not always.
 

Elphaba09

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I think it's got to be about educating people from what I have seen more people would if they knew the problem's it causes. There's so many that don't realise how young cat's can have kittens. I have let numerous people know about help with cost for neutering. One of my friends said to me about a neighbour's cat "poor little thing she's had kittens and she's still a kitten herself, And I told her she could get her spayed for free" In this case my friend sorted out vouchers for her neighbour and took the cat to the vet for her so laziness was at play here but not always.
I wish I could find vouchers to reduce the cost! The only ones I found around here are not honored or they cost money. I found a voucher for $30 that said it covered the cost of spay/neuter and medication. The only place near us that took the vouchers said that it still costs $80 for a neuter and $120 for a spay, so I would be paying to get the vouchers and still paying a lot for the surgeries. I have my three kittens and my daughter has her three kittens we are trying to get spayed and neutered. Since there are three of each, that would be nearly $800, excluding pain meds and rabies shots!

We used to have a local low cost clinic, but they shut down right after we had Silas neutered almost two years ago. I did find a reasonable one, but it is an hour away, and they cannot take them all at once. They cannot get the girls in until 14 Oct, but the boys are going on 11 Sept. The prices are pretty good, though! $35 each for the boys and $70 each for the girls.

The place that has done our ferals since the other clinic closed is currently not taking any ferals. They charge $25. The only ferals/strays that we have caught lately has been the kittens, and now they are ours. ❤
 

Tik cat's mum

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I wish I could find vouchers to reduce the cost! The only ones I found around here are not honored or they cost money. I found a voucher for $30 that said it covered the cost of spay/neuter and medication. The only place near us that took the vouchers said that it still costs $80 for a neuter and $120 for a spay, so I would be paying to get the vouchers and still paying a lot for the surgeries. I have my three kittens and my daughter has her three kittens we are trying to get spayed and neutered. Since there are three of each, that would be nearly $800, excluding pain meds and rabies shots!

We used to have a local low cost clinic, but they shut down right after we had Silas neutered almost two years ago. I did find a reasonable one, but it is an hour away, and they cannot take them all at once. They cannot get the girls in until 14 Oct, but the boys are going on 11 Sept. The prices are pretty good, though! $35 each for the boys and $70 each for the girls.

The place that has done our ferals since the other clinic closed is currently not taking any ferals. They charge $25. The only ferals/strays that we have caught lately has been the kittens, and now they are ours. ❤
It can be like that here I'm in the UK we found it's only certain vets that take vouchers and some what do will charge on top. But if you get the vouchers off the RSPCA or cat's protection they can point you in the direction of a vet. When I took my boy to get done I was expecting to pay about 15 pounds towards the cost but when I got there was told we don't charge on top with cat's protection vouchers. So the extra cash went on chipping him.
 

LTS3

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I had a voucher to get my first cat's neuter done. I was using a low cost vet clinic and they participated in the SPCA's spay / neuter assistance program (SNAP). The clinic didn't have the capability to do anything more than a physical exam but the vet was affiliated with a local animal hospital so that's where I had the neuter done. I think it was like $35. Many SPCAs and Humane Societies and rescues have some sort of spay / neuter assistance for financially strapped pet owners even the occasional free spay / neuter day. Pet stores may host a spay / neuter mobile clinic for little or no cost. It might take a little digging of the web site or calling to find out.
 
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