Should I get my cat neutered, now I’m vegan?
Isn’t this what all vegans are against?
I’ve always been a cat person, even though I’ve had a few other animals over the years. I’d newly acquired two cats, one male tabby kitten, and a black and white domestic shorthaired female, nearly two years old. Thankfully, Lulu, the female had been spayed. But Fergal, the male kitten, hadn’t been neutered. As I’d done with most of my previous cats, I booked him in at the vets for a castration. I’d been a vegetarian for a long time, but now I am vegan , should I get my cat neutered? Would I be doing the right thing? After all, they’d be cutting off his body parts. It didn’t dawn on me until the morning I was taking him in, that I was essentially paying for someone to mutilate his body – isn’t this what all vegans are against?
Was I just being selfish because I didn’t want him to spray the house? I knew male cats tend to do this if something worries or annoys them and that neutering can help. The smell of tom cat urine really stinks and is hard to get rid of, no one wants that in their house. Also, from experience, I knew it would make Fergal a more homey cat, he would be less likely to stray.
Should I get Fergal sterilised? Sounds so clinical – time for an expert opinion…
I spoke to the veterinary nurse dealing with Fergal and voiced my concerns. She pointed out that, as well as the reasons mentioned above, there are a few other reasons I should continue with his castration.
Male cats will roam, looking for females to mate with
They can be gone for weeks or even months at a time. I remember this from a male cat I had when I was in my teens. My parents, for whatever reason, didn’t have my cuddly little tom cat, whom I named Oscar, neutered. He disappeared one day, only to return months later. I couldn’t believe he’d returned when I opened the back door early one morning, I thought he was gone for good. But the cat that had returned wasn’t my cute little grey tabby that had left.
He was wild, growling and hissing, desperately looking for food, half the size he was when he had left. And a welcome-back, I’ve missed you so much hug was definitely out of the question. Within hours, he’d taken to his paws and disappeared again, much to my dismay. Sadly, I never saw him again, I was broken-hearted. He probably got hit by a car or met some other fatal accident in his quest for a queen.
There are so many cats in rehoming centres across the UK, without breeding more and adding to the problem.
This made sense to me, after all, Fergal himself was an abandoned kitten. If you’ve ever visited a rehoming centre such as Cats Protection, it breaks your heart seeing all the cats waiting for a forever home, just to be loved. And as mentioned below, illnesses can spread easily between cats, so living in close quarters, even for a short time can be risky. Also, very often, these rehoming centres rely on self funding, so finances and resources will be tight. And they very often rely on volunteer staff too.
Neutering prevents diseases spreading between mating cats
There are many diseases that can be prevented from spreading between mating cats, such as leukaemia and FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) which is similar to HIV in humans. Humans cannot catch FIV from cats, but it’s a horrible disease to watch your cat die of.
Watching our friends die of FIV, not nice
When we lived in Ireland, we rescued six cats from a rescue centre that was overrun with cats, bursting at the seams. The staff were doing their absolute best with the self-funding and the modest resources they had. But it was clear that FIV was rife amongst the cats. All the ones we adopted eventually died a horrible death. There’s nothing really you can do but euthanase the poor things. It also spread to our faithful old moggy, Dexter that we already had. He’d been happy and very healthy up until then. Believe me, if you can spare a cat contracting this awful disease, do it. It’s horrible watching them gasping for breath as their lungs fill up.
For more advice on neutering your cat, checkout this post by Cats Protection here.
Even if your vegan, having your cat neutered is kind
I thought about it for a second and then instantly felt I was doing the right thing, not just for me, not just for Fergal, but for feline kind.
Obviously, this problem doesn’t just apply to cats. If you are unsure whether neutering your animal companion is the right thing, consult your vet. They might not be vegan, but they will have an interest in their well-being.
Roaming free
Like many people, I’ve always had pets – rabbits, cats, dogs, and birds. I even had an African giant snail and a fire-bellied toad, both of which I kept in a propagator to mimic their natural habitat. They were all well fed and cared for, but now the thought of keeping animals caged up doesn’t sit right with me ethically. I want to do my best for animals, whatever the species. I’ve always been an animal lover, check out another of my blog posts ‘Who’s hiding in the garden?’ I guess my thoughts on keeping pets have changed now I’m vegan. We live amongst animals, they don’t live with us. We’re not superior, but sometimes you have to make tough choices for them. Making the right choice for the welfare of the animals is what counts.
Apart from three goats, all we have now is two cats. They go outside, and we live in a rural area, so I’d say they’re happy, roaming local fields and woods. And in order to help the local bird and mice population, we’ve put collars on them both, complete with a tinkly bell, to warn any potential prey of impending doom. It seems to work.
And although the back door is open all day so the cats can come and go at their leisure, they do return, at mealtimes mainly but also for evening hugs.
They are free to do as they please. I think they are content, even though they’re neutered.
