09/05/2023
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=289272623715369&id=100078979008953&mibextid=ZbWKwL
Now that kids are back in school it's time to do the math....
Number of cats spayed and neutered through OSN from January to August 2023....
110 Females
92 Males
202 CATS TOTAL!!!
THE TRUTH / THE FACTS:
* A female cat can become pregnant as young as 16 weeks (4 months) of age and go on to have two or three litters a year.
* Technically, cats can get pregnant up to five times a year since their gestation period lasts only for about two months or 63 to 72 days.
On average, a cat can have three litters of kittens per year with four kittens per litter. Female cats can reproduce basically throughout their entire life meaning they can have kittens for 12-15 years. That means one female cat could possibly have 180 kittens in a lifetime!!!
* An unspayed female cat can get pregnant again as soon as two weeks after giving birth! Keep her indoors and away from un-neutered males until her kittens are fully weaned, then please get her spayed before letting her out or coming into contact with un-altered male cats again! Remember, it's not her fault she came home pregnant, it's yours!
It is recommended that an unspayed female cat have not more than one or two litters per year at most in order to give the cat necessary time to recover.
With this information in mind, allowing your cats to remain un-altered and allowed to roam freely not only are you being an irresponsible pet owner but you are continuing to add to the overpopulation crisis of abandoned, homeless and feral cats!! YOU are the problem and NOT the cats! Cats don't have the ability to think nor do they have a choice! But YOU do! If you can't keep your cat(s) indoors then at least put them in a catio / secure enclosure or on a harness with a lead but only if supervised. Never leave a cat outdoors on a lead unsupervised!
Yes the veterinary costs have soared to unaffordable prices especially now since the Covid pandemic, but there are many TNR and Rescue groups out there that you can reach out to for help like us here at OSN! We are more than happy to help anyone, regardless of income, or location (Ontario & Quebec) as long as you're able to get your cat(s) to us in Hawkesbury on the morning of our low-cost spay and neuter day appointment! All you have to do is send us your Email address and we'll send you our Spay Day Application with prices and Instruction / Information Sheet. Not sure if we're legit?? No worries, just pick up the phone and call the OPP station and ask them! We use their Free Trade Zone parking lot to meet everyone on the morning of surgery and again at the end of the day when we return home with your pet(s), or call the SPCA in Cornwall, they've even transported cats for us, or ask Vet clinics and other Rescue organizations! Anyhow the choice is yours. We do have a bit of a waiting list but once you're on the list you may get a call to come sooner, especially if we get cancellations or if the vet has more spots available. But please think about what you're doing, because not only are you contributing to the overpopulation crisis but you're forcing cats and kittens to suffer out there on the streets many of which are born in a breach position and die soon after birth if they are not already dead. This makes the female suffer in agony alone and in excrutiating pain with no help from anyone! As a person, can you even imagine going through that yourself with nobody around? How would you get that baby out with no help from anyone? So why put your cat through that? Plus, due to malnutrition and disease, the mom may also give birth to kittens born prematurely and/or born with birth defects and disease! Remember, that when kittens are born, they cannot regulate their body temperature to keep warm and the litter may all die but the female will not even have time to recuperate from having this litter before getting pregnant again!!! OK, so you're adding to the problem of homeless cats, big deal right? Well what you may not know is that there are many diseases such as Panleukopenia (aka Feline Distemper) which may cause kittens to be born with CH (Cerebellar hypoplasia), FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), FIV (Feline immunodeficiency virus) which is spread via deep bites such as in an aggressive cat fight, FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) which is also spread via aggressive cat fights, as well as being spread via shared litter boxes and bodily fluids (drinking or eating from the same food dishes). Ringworm is not a worm, it's a fungal infection of the skin and hair. The fungus preys on the young and immunocompromised, putting kittens at a high risk of infection when exposed. Anyhow, I think you get the picture, but if you don't get it, then do a little research and talk to your vet or check out each disease online. Unfortunately, diseases are just a fraction of what you are subjecting your cats too. Don't forget that there are other dangers out there such as, cruel and abusive people, wildlife (coyotes, fishers) and dog attacks, motor vehicle accidents which some cats will suffer in agony if they're not killed on impact!!!
There just simply aren't enough homes out there for the amount of domestic cats that are being dumped and left abandoned so please help us to get this problem under control by getting your own pets spayed and neutered!
Other ways that you can help rescues is by Fosting, Adopting, Volunteering to help out at Fundraising events, Donate: small pet or baby blankets, food, litter, treats, toys, metal or ceramic pet food dishes, lightly used litter boxes, or monetary donations. Sponsor or Spay-it-Forward for those who simply cannot afford the extra expenses. But just do something, because a little kindness and compassion can go a heck of a long way! Try it!!
If you've suddenly developed an allergy? Good News! There's medication for that. It's called Claritin or Reactin! Or speak to your vet about getting allergy shots! I was allergic to everything under the sun including cats until I saw an allergist and got the shots. Look at me now!!! No more allergies plus mosquito bites don't even affect me anymore!!! So now I have the best of both worlds!!
None of what I do to help cats would be pawsible without the help and cooperation of others! We have a fantastic sterilization clinic in the province of Quebec with an awesome team of vets and vet techs who help Rescues and Animal Shelters by offering low-cost prices to help get cats sterilized, plus we have some great drivers from Jessica's Wing Cat Rescue / Aux Pitous Adorables pet grooming in Embrun, and the SD&G OSPCA to help with transportation to and from the sterilization clinic. If we can do it, then so can you!!
