Spaying and neutering: what do pets think?

This is Rocco!

To have your pet sterilized is good. Talking to him beforehand is better!

When we talk about neutering pets, we often think of dogs and cats. We must not forget other species such as rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. All animals reproduce! Sterilization is an important animal and public health issue. But what do the animals think? I am sharing the point of view of three cats and a dog, including a breeding cat that was recently neutered.

Sterilization: a crucial issue

There is a growing awareness of the importance of spaying and neutering pets and strays. Veterinarians are getting involved by offering this service at a lower cost to organizations. The SPCA regularly conducts information campaigns. Multiple shelters and groups pick up thousands of stray animals and have them sterilized. I am pleased to see the many efforts being made about this. Information is spreading and this issue is becoming an individual and collective responsibility.

The focus is mainly on birth control to curb the overpopulation of animals and to stop the overgrowth in certain areas. The spotlight is on individual and collective problems: stray animals that are hungry, and cold, that attack each other, or are injured in traffic accidents. For me, spaying and neutering also raises the issue of their health: preventing the transmission of contagious diseases such as feline HIV, feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR), and typhus. In dogs, there is distemper, contagious hepatitis, and several others. All these diseases are transmitted between them. In short, spaying and neutering also contribute to the reduction of animal diseases.

The opinion of the animals, thanks to animal communication

Thanks to animal communication, I can share the lives and thoughts of a breeding cat, of two female cats, and a female dog. Their life experiences should be considered.

Rocco, the breeding cat

I am happy to have adopted Rocco, a 5-year-old Bengal cat. Having been neutered last year, he is now a retired breeder cat! He lived in a cattery for four years, generating his offspring. At the end of his tenure there, he was adopted to live with two female cats and continued his breeding life for another year. He tells me about his experience as a breeding cat. You can imagine my curiosity and great interest in understanding what the life of a breeding animal is like, as well as the animal’s perspective instead of the human’s!

Here is what Rocco has to say:

”Not all cats want to mate. It's the hormones that dictate our behavior. I used to be a cat of luxury, of exoticism. I was chosen for my beauty, my genetics, and my presence. I was a cat with a genetic background that met the precise criteria of my breed. I was considered an object; I didn't really have any emotions. It was okay, I was treated well and I was cared for, but to these humans, I just had the status of a highly-rated breeder. In order to maintain a good lineage and avoid genetic problems, I could no longer serve the females in my cattery. It was time to leave.

In my last year as a breeder cat, I was adopted by a family with two females and continued in that role. Sometimes I felt like I was too much for the other two cats. They would say, "Ah, go away", or "Oh no! Don't bother us, we're fine just the two of us”. At other times, they would come to me, driven by their hormonal cycle that dictated their needs. Both females were tired of breeding. They were victims of their bodies. In fact, hormones controlled our bodies and our behavior. I didn't like being a breeder. I had to be the best I could be, to respond to demands and urges. I knew that females were not really interested. And I knew that I was destined for something different.

Now I no longer face the demands of cats that don't really want to breed. It's nice to retire from a job you don't really like! And it's comfortable to be in control of my body since I have been neutered. I don't have those hormonal urges anymore; I don't react to my body. I am more balanced.

Today I am a companion and an equal. With you, Lynda, it's a sharing. It is no longer "You have to give me". I didn't know that humans were so generous. I am getting used to being heard through communication with you. Wow! I am heard now! Before, I existed; I was not asked what I thought or what I wanted. I was in a rigid environment of what I had to be and do, while now I live my life just being a cat. Thank you for allowing me to just be me, not for my looks or prestige. It is really refreshing! I need time to settle down and rest in this new life and environment. I need to integrate that it is possible for humans to desire your well-being, not only physical but emotional as well. I can't wait to discover this.”

Two cats, two choices!

After communicating with Rocco, it was time to discuss spaying with the two female cats. I asked them what they wanted. The four-year-old female cat clearly expressed not wanting to reproduce anymore, saying she was ready to live another kind of life with her person. The second female expressed a desire to have one last litter before spaying. Her choice will be respected.

The dog who refuses to be a mother

I have talked with cats, dogs, and other animals who do not want to experience motherhood in this life, having already experienced it, and because they know they have other things to do. I remember a seven-year-old, unsterilized female dog. Her human family wanted her to have just one litter so that their little girl could have the joy of this experience. The dog made it clear that she did not want to experience motherhood at all in this lifetime. She added that if she became pregnant, she would not be the same physically afterward, as she would likely have complications and possibly die. Her family respected her choice. She was fortunate that her humans were open to animal communication and wanted her opinion. They consulted me.

It is important to spay and neuter our animals for their health, and well-being, and our own. It's also important to consider their needs, ask for their input, and inform them.

Animals have rights and choices too!

Lynda Yelle Dolittle

P.S. Once a month, I lead a GROUP ANIMAL COMMUNICATION SESSION. You can take this opportunity to ask your pet if he wants to reproduce or not (or any other question). You can also inform him that you are going to have him spayed or neutered. This is respectful and lets the pet know what is going on!