Why do we advocate for pregnant spay.

Here is a list the reasons as best I can in order of importance but they are all super important..

Spay abort or pregnant spay is not something we laugh off and joke about, we do not love the process, neither do most of our vets and their staff as they are those ones who actually perform and witness the procedure. We all know how sad it is to witness first hand a mother cat having birthing difficulties

• Kittens stuck: Head visible but not delivered within 10–20 minutes.

• Large kittens or malpresentation: Kittens too big or oriented incorrectly, often in breeds like Persians or Siamese.

• Narrow birth canal: Pelvic trauma or breed-specific issues.

• Uterine Inertia: Weak contractions caused by uterine fatigue or low calcium (hypocalcemia).

• Eclampsia: A life-threatening, sudden drop in calcium, causing twitching, restlessness, or fever.

• Uterine Torsion: Rare but severe condition where the uterus twists, restricting blood flow.

• Retained Placenta: Placenta not delivered, leading to potential infection.

• Infections: E.g., Pyometra (uterine infection)

• Prolonged labor: Active labor exceeding 2 hours without a kitten.

• Abnormal discharge: Dark green or foul-smelling discharge before any kitten is born.

• Extreme distress: Intense, continuous howling, or licking/biting the vulva.

• Maternal illness: Lethargy, fever (rectal temp > 103°F or 39.4°C), or shock

• Stillborn kittens: If a kitten dies in utero.

And reminding everyone most of the cats we help are community cats that are birthing outside in the elements. This exposes kittens to all kinds of new dangers

• Disease & Infections: High risk of contracting Feline Leukemia (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and Upper Respiratory Infections, which are often fatal to young kittens.

• Parasites & Illness: Exposure to fleas, ticks, ear mites, ringworm, and intestinal worms (roundworms, hookworms) causes anemia and severe infections.

• Predators & Trauma: Risk of being attacked by wild animals (coyotes, foxes) or dying in traffic accidents.

• Environmental Hazards: Exposure to extreme cold, rain, and lack of shelter leads to frostbite or hypothermia.

• Malnutrition & Dehydration: Kittens may suffer if the mother is unable to find enough food or water to produce milk.

• Great intent horrible follow through: some people will pick up kittens hoping someone else will foster, rescues are full and there aren’t a lot of people dedicating themselves to fostering. Some take kittens on with no idea of how and what it actually takes to raise a bottle baby which unfortunately leads to their death.

• The elements: kittens born in unsafe places risk being caught up in heavy equipment leading to injury and death

People often see a bundle of kittens thinking they will help find them rescue or even take them on having no idea not educating themselves in what the entire process is.. taking kittens and not fixing mom is leaving a gap in the whole life saving process, you have just opened up the door for mom to procreate again and placed another person back in your shoes, the cycle continues until someone does the right thing and closes the gap. Fixing mom. Ideally taking on a bundle of bottle babies ales you responsible for the entirety of their stay.. bottle feeding and supplies through at least 2 months or more. Vaccines and spay and neuter is the most responsible thing for them before you give them away or adopt them out. This is a lot of time and money for one person. But it is something one person decided was going to be what they committed to so do it right! You’re looking at approximately $500 a kitten at that rate, also assuming there are no complications like illnesses panleukopenia , calici virus, upper respiratory or any major or minor health issues.

Some may try to take on a feral cat and kittens thinking they can handle a situation to foster. Feral cats don’t always do well in these situations and may eat, maim or kill their kittens. The stress a feral has with a change in environment may lead them to their death, they may stop eating, stop milk production or fail all together. We have successfully fostered feral moms and kittens after birth but it doesn’t always end with a happy story.

The emergency fee for any birthing complications can be astronomical $3,000-$6,000 which is very steep for a stray cat and possibly your pet. A simple $30-$45 spay by 5 months sure would save a lot of money and heartache. We unfortunately cannot pay the steep price for one cats life, but we can prevent a lot of cats from having that happen with $3,000-$6,000!

And to all the kittens that are already here, dying on the streets being unclaimed and unloved by neighbors who are poisoning them, shooting them or trapping them to relocate them we do not need to compound those issues. Shelters are full and only take sick and injured, not all of them are picked up by other rescues. Financial concerns outweigh the ability to treat and most are euthanized.

There are not enough homes for the existing cats and kittens here already.

There are not enough rescues to step up.

There are not enough fosters who can or will help.

Spay and neuter is the only way to stop this. And for now pregnant spay is the only way to prevent more from coming ..

   NOT MY CAT IS EVERYONES PROBLEM, DOING NOTHING SOLVES NOTHING

Why do we advocate for pregnant spay..

I’ll list the reasons as best I can in order of importance but they are all super important..

Spay abort or pregnant spay is not something we laugh off and joke about, we do not love the process, neither do most of our vets and their staff as they are those ones who actually perform and witness the procedure. We all know how sad it is to witness first hand a mother cat having birthing difficulties

• Kittens stuck: Head visible but not delivered within 10–20 minutes.

• Large kittens or malpresentation: Kittens too big or oriented incorrectly, often in breeds like Persians or Siamese.

• Narrow birth canal: Pelvic trauma or breed-specific issues.

• Uterine Inertia: Weak contractions caused by uterine fatigue or low calcium (hypocalcemia).

• Eclampsia: A life-threatening, sudden drop in calcium, causing twitching, restlessness, or fever.

• Uterine Torsion: Rare but severe condition where the uterus twists, restricting blood flow.

• Retained Placenta: Placenta not delivered, leading to potential infection.

• Infections: E.g., Pyometra (uterine infection)

• Prolonged labor: Active labor exceeding 2 hours without a kitten.

• Abnormal discharge: Dark green or foul-smelling discharge before any kitten is born.

• Extreme distress: Intense, continuous howling, or licking/biting the vulva.

• Maternal illness: Lethargy, fever (rectal temp > 103°F or 39.4°C), or shock

• Stillborn kittens: If a kitten dies in utero.

And reminding everyone most of the cats we help are community cats that are birthing outside in the elements. This exposes kittens to all kinds of new dangers

• Disease & Infections: High risk of contracting Feline Leukemia (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and Upper Respiratory Infections, which are often fatal to young kittens.

• Parasites & Illness: Exposure to fleas, ticks, ear mites, ringworm, and intestinal worms (roundworms, hookworms) causes anemia and severe infections.

• Predators & Trauma: Risk of being attacked by wild animals (coyotes, foxes) or dying in traffic accidents.

• Environmental Hazards: Exposure to extreme cold, rain, and lack of shelter leads to frostbite or hypothermia.

• Malnutrition & Dehydration: Kittens may suffer if the mother is unable to find enough food or water to produce milk.

• Great intent horrible follow through: some people will pick up kittens hoping someone else will foster, rescues are full and there aren’t a lot of people dedicating themselves to fostering. Some take kittens on with no idea of how and what it actually takes to raise a bottle baby which unfortunately leads to their death.

• The elements: kittens born in unsafe places risk being caught up in heavy equipment leading to injury and death

People often see a bundle of kittens thinking they will help find them rescue or even take them on having no idea not educating themselves in what the entire process is.. taking kittens and not fixing mom is leaving a gap in the whole life saving process, you have just opened up the door for mom to procreate again and placed another person back in your shoes, the cycle continues until someone does the right thing and closes the gap. Fixing mom. Ideally taking on a bundle of bottle babies ales you responsible for the entirety of their stay.. bottle feeding and supplies through at least 2 months or more. Vaccines and spay and neuter is the most responsible thing for them before you give them away or adopt them out. This is a lot of time and money for one person. But it is something one person decided was going to be what they committed to so do it right! You’re looking at approximately $500 a kitten at that rate, also assuming there are no complications like illnesses panleukopenia , calici virus, upper respiratory or any major or minor health issues.

Some may try to take on a feral cat and kittens thinking they can handle a situation to foster. Feral cats don’t always do well in these situations and may eat, maim or kill their kittens. The stress a feral has with a change in environment may lead them to their death, they may stop eating, stop milk production or fail all together. We have successfully fostered feral moms and kittens after birth but it doesn’t always end with a happy story.

The emergency fee for any birthing complications can be astronomical $3,000-$6,000 which is very steep for a stray cat and possibly your pet. A simple $30-$45 spay by 5 months sure would save a lot of money and heartache. We unfortunately cannot pay the steep price for one cats life, but we can prevent a lot of cats from having that happen with $3,000-$6,000!

And to all the kittens that are already here, dying on the streets being unclaimed and unloved by neighbors who are poisoning them, shooting them or trapping them to relocate them we do not need to compound those issues. Shelters are full and only take sick and injured, not all of them are picked up by other rescues. Financial concerns outweigh the ability to treat and most are euthanized.

There are not enough homes for the existing cats and kittens here already.

There are not enough rescues to step up.

There are not enough fosters who can or will help.

Spay and neuter is the only way to stop this. And for now pregnant spay is the only way to prevent more from coming ..

   NOT MY CAT IS EVERYONES PROBLEM, DOING NOTHING SOLVES NOTHING