On the subject of neuters…
Breeding means to be planning litters in order to achieve better offspring than the parents were – or at least, not to make matters worse. This is equally true for physical traits, health, character or fine differences to fit the breed’s standard just a little bit closer. Each litter needs to be planned just to be able to keep one kitten for the next generation. Everything else would just be reproduction and not a responsible thing to do when thinking about the pet overpopulation problem.
It clearly is not difficult to imagine the size of your cat family if you follow these plans just for a couple of years. This would not be a very responsible thing either because with the number of cats, the number of conflicts and scrables would also go up. Keeping whole males and females together with neuters and spays is a act of balance. It can go well for a while but eventually the neuters/spays will get bullied by their former friends leading to high stress levels for all cats.
When this happens, a breeder has several choices:
1. Deciding to discontinue breeding in time
Depending of how much place you have and how successful you breed, this could allow several years of lucky breeding. However in young breeds with quickly changing generations, you’d have to stop long before you could have had any positive effect on the breed.
2. Getting rid of the idea of keeping youngsters or acquiring new cats
Now that’s not what breeding is all about, is it? Would definitely pay off financially though, no bad assumptions intended here.
But if you want to stay serious and if you don’t want to be responsibl for just too many cats on the world, that that’s not the way to go.
3. Keeping all neuters and spays and facing the fact that every minor change in your own life will dramatically affect your ability to take care of them. – The time will come when they are too much.
This happens quite often indeed. Ever heard of old ladies living in smelly houses with dozens of cats? Well…
From a different perspective it’s less demeaning. Cats just aren’t made for large groups. Their immune systems can’t bear high virus and bacterial loads over long times as well as their behaviour does not lead to stable social orders.
4. Bearing the brunt and starting to look for new homes
Finding new homes means to take care of their needs in the best way you can. Eventually a breeder does know the adults much better than any kitten and it’s easier to pick just the right home.
However you’ll have to be living with people thinking how cruel you are, doing so.
I refuse to re-sell my adults to other breeders for any reason.
I really believe in cats deserving their own homes, I believe in the fact that purebreds have no reason to live a life in confusion and homelessness just because they are beautiful. And I don’t believe it doesn’t matter much when they have to change their homes permanently.
There has to be a humane way of breeding.
The question is not “Can they reason” but “Can they suffer”.
Jeremy Bentham – engl. Jurist
Ultimately it’s obvious what I decided to do. Nevertheless if breaks my heart each time an adult cat moves out…
