6 kittens - spay/neuter update

I think it's important to live up to intentions
to spay/neuter, and accordingly the six kittens
born on August 7 were spayed and neutered last
week, at five months old. The female was spayed
on Tuesday and all five of the males were neutered
on Thursday, because that's the way the vet wanted
to do it; and it was good for the female to have
a two-day head start on recovery.

All are doing well, and thank goodness it is over.
I've had to have it done for five other cats,
besides these six, and I hate it as much now as
the first time, six years ago.

It's been a joy having these six little angelic
demons, or demonic angels, and I've never been
sorry for the part I played in saving them and
their mother from a late-term abortion.

There have been endless agonizing problems, but
I think most great things have difficulties along
with them. I have an exciting new plan to fence in the
backyard, and provide a safe indoor/outdoor
environment for the kittens to share with the adopted
stray cat that currently lives in the basement.

-cr

Explanation.

My first post didn't seem to 'take', using Google's
web-based Usenet service. I wrote that one in the depths of
depression; but a plan of action finally occurred to me after a
sleepless night, and I posted the message again, without all
the bad stuff, still thinking that the first post was not going to
go through.

Please disregard the first post.

-cr

"Calvin Rice" wrote in message
oups.com...
.... I wrote that one in the depths of
depression; but a plan of action finally occurred to me after a
sleepless night, and I posted the message again, without all
the bad stuff, still thinking that the first post was not going to
go through.
-cr

Calvin,
You have taken on a big job. I hope all problems eventually will resolve.
I know you are very attached to all the cats, but sometimes the greater love
is letting go. You might want to consider rehoming some of the cats. The
young ones should be the most adaptable. The cat in the basement also might
be a great pet under different circumstances.
This is the part I hate most about doing a rescue; the letting go part.
But the alternative is to keep accumulating cats until it becomes
overwhelming. That is not good for any of you, either.
Good for you for following through with the responsibilities you have
undertaken and for looking for solutions to the problems. I hope the fenced
yard works.
If it doesn't, you might, as I suggested, consider rehoming at least some of
them.
You might have success by putting posters up in veterinarians' offices and
rehoming the cats yourself. This worked for me. With a couple of dumped
puppies, I also had success with a rescue group that has access to a public
place to display the pets. The group that took the puppies takes care to
carefully screen the prospective adopters. I also made a donation to the
group to cover its expenses to care for the puppies.
I was able to find owners for most of the other lost pets I've found, and,
of course, we adopted some.
We would like to be able to keep all the homeless, unclaimed animals that
come our way, but, we have to know our limits.
And it's hard.
And it makes me angry because the whole problem is caused by irresponsible
humans.
And we can only do what we can do, knowing that at least each animal that
has passed through our care or is still here will not contribute further to
the overpopulation problem.
Good luck and hugs to you for what you are doing.
Annie

Good luck and hugs to you for what you are doing.
Annie

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. Rehoming is not an
option because, as many people emphatically pointed out at the
time that I took responsibility for the kittens rather than let them
be aborted, rehoming them would cause other cats that were
already living never to have homes, and thus have to be euthanized.

If I do get this situation under control, and I hope to have the
fence installed immediately, this week, and do therefore find
time to do some actual animal rescue, as opposed to stopping
abortions, I will do my best not to become attached to new cats,
and either find homes for them or not continue rescue work.

To date the only cat that I've rescued, as opposed to saving from
abortion, is the one in the basement, who is a sweetheart with
me but a menacing terror to my four-year old male. He was an
un-neutered adult when I had him neutered and adopted him
because he wouldn't go away. But he has never gotten over some
of his aggressive tomcat ways, the only serious problem being
with my oldest male.

He is being pretty good about accepting these five month olds,
that I let run around in the basement with him from time to time,
so I'm hopeful that the fenced backyard, with cats going in-out
to the basement, will solve all of our current problems. The
basement is not like a dungeon. Half of it is at ground level,
with windows, sliding door, and ventilation. Seven cats will have
the basement, garage, and backyard for their home. Two others
will share that area whenever they like, and my four-year-old male
will have his home back the way it was before the six kittens
ruined it for him. Happy days are coming, it appears.

-cr