jla@inuxd.UUCP (Joyce Andrews) (01/25/85)
I don't know whether Mark's lost cat has been castrated, but if not, you can bet he's not strolling the neighborhood looking for a poker game. One year old is about right for a boy cat to learn he's a boy. I really feel bad about the cat being gone, but it gives me a chance to get back on my soapbox about neutering. This really isn't the place to say it--anyone who reads net.pets is going to be sensitive to the problem of pet overpopulation. I can't stress enough, however, the need to spread the word that our pets should not have to concern themselves with the need for propagating the species. If you meet with arguments, here are some answers: "My pet will get fat." Fatness results from lack of exercise and overeating, not neutering. "He/she will get lazy and not be any fun anymore." All pets are better companions after neutering. They stay full of fun, and can establish a more complete relationship with their owners. THEY ALSO HAVE NO REASON TO STRAY. "He/she will be deprived." There are no doggy Playboy magazines--he/she won't know what's missing. The absence of hormones means the absence of the need. "It's not natural." Living in an apartment is not natural. Living to be 15 years old is not natural. What's *natural* is survival of the fittest and, at best, a two-year life expectancy. "I want the kids to learn the facts of life from watching birth." Then the facts of life should include watching the babies gassed at the pound. "I always find homes for the kittens/puppies." Then those were potential homes for kittens and puppies that will die because nobody wants them. "Surgery is dangerous and expensive." This one is really true-- any surgery is potentially dangerous, and all of it is expensive. But not nearly so dangerous and expensive as mammary and prostatic cancer, both real dangers to an unneutered pet. Please, convince someone to convince someone. We've got to spread the word. Thanks for letting me sermonize again. I guess we all have to find the spot where we are meant to do some good, but sometimes I wish my spot was not in the trenches with abandoned and mistreated animals. Believe me, it's not a comfortable place.
kal@trsvax.UUCP (01/28/85)
"All surgery is dangerous and expensive." Some vets are subsidised by the humane society to perform nuetering at a reduced cost. When I had my females nuetered, I called about 10 vets trying to find the cheapest. I questioned it when one of them was $20.00 cheaper than the rest of them. It turns out that he's subsidized by the humane society. You can probably call the humane society in your area and find out if they help out neutering costs.
rockefeller@oblio.DEC (01/29/85)
Hear, hear! Joyce's eloquent plea deserves to be spread far and wide. Arguments against neutering are just sheer nonsense. Linda Dube Rockefeller