Expert: Ali - 5/12/2009

Question
QUESTION: i have a male cat of about 1 1/2 years.do i need to provide it with a suitable mate.

ANSWER: Aishath,

There isn't a simple answer to your question. I would encourage you to seriously consider the responsibilities that go along with allowing a cat to reproduce even though in most cases the tom's caregivers aren't responsible for caring for the kittens. It's important to consider several factors when deciding whether or not to breed your cat. In many cases cats who are allowed to breed are at higher risks of certain medical and behavioural issues. Overall cats that have been spayed/neutered, kept indoors, fed high quality foods and provided with appropriate medical care live longer, healthier and happier lives than those cats who aren't so fortunate. In most parts of the world it's not appropriate to breed mixed breed animals because there is an incredibly serious pet overpopulation issue that affects shelters and rescue organizations worldwide. Unfortunately many animal loving staff working for animal welfare organizations are forced to euthanize healthy, adoptable animals simply because they don't have the time, space or resources to devote to each animal until their forever family comes along to adopt them. The euthanasia rate for cats tends to be much higher than that of dogs, possibly because cats are seen as disposable or simply because pet parents aren't taking the simply step of controlling pet overpopulation by spaying/neutering their cats.

There are many good behavioral and medical reasons to spay/neuter our cats. Cats that have been spayed/neutered are prevented from getting uterine, ovarian or prostate cancers. The earlier in life that a cat is spayed/neutered the less likely s/he will be to develop prostate or breast cancers. Unspayed female cats are at risk of developing a potentially life threatening uterine infection called pyometra which causes the womb to fill with pus, if the uterus ruptures and spreads infection throughout the abdomen the cat's chances of survival are pretty low. The only treatment for pyometra is to perform an emergency spay, this procedure is much riskier than a routine spay because the cat is already quite sick which is associated with higher risks of anesthetic death and post surgical complications. The emergency spay is more complicated and time consuming so it tends to be quite a bit more expensive than a routine spay.

The leading cause of death in cats living in North America is euthanasia secondary to behavioral issues. This statistic is heart breaking because many behavioral issues can be prevented or minimized by spaying/neutering our cats. Common behavioral problems including inappropriate elimination (urinating or defecating outside of the litter box), fighting with other cats (the resulting injuries from cat fights often require medical care because bite wounds tend to get badly infected forming abscesses which must be drained under anesthetic, flushed with sterile saline and treated with antibiotics), queens howling to advertise their availability to mate, tom cats caterwauling and fighting to win the right to mate with receptive queens and wandering over a large area are all issues which can be prevented by having the cat spayed/neutered before they reach sexual maturity. Behaviors like house soiling or fighting can sometimes occur with cats that have been spayed/neutered however these behaviors are often related to things like improper introductions to new cats in the household, poor litter box hygiene, scented litter, and other issues which can be easily solved.

Ultimately spaying and neutering our cats is a responsible and ethical choice which saves countless lives each year. For pet parents that are having difficulty getting the money together for routine vet care I may be able to help find a solution to those issues. I keep an ever growing list of resources that may be willing to cover part or all of the cost of routine care like kitten vaccines and spay/neuter procedures. The only information that I ask for in these cases is that the pet parent provide the general area they are writing from - in Canada or the US the province or state is fine. Spaying and neutering helps cats to live longer, healthier lives and as kitty caregivers that love our pets we all want to have as much quality time as possible with our furry friends.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: actually as i am from Maldives,there are no vets here.thats why i cant get any medical care for my cat.

Answer
Aishath,

I understand that in some parts of the world veterinary care is scarce. I'm going to try my very best to find you a few vet clinics, so please bear with me as I'm not familiar with Maldives, some of these veterinarians may be a fair distance from your home. I will do my absolute best to find you veterinarians willing to provide routine/basic health care for your cat. It's possible that I may have to contact international organizations concerned with improving the way that animals are cared for worldwide. Organizations like WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) sometimes know where to find local vets or in some areas they set up temporary vet clinics every so often. Sometimes the people working for these organizations have a working relationship with local veterinarians which can make it easier to find veterinary care with their help. Hopefully between the two of use we'll be able to you some helpful information and resources that will allow you to provide the best possible medical care for your cat. I realize that some of these vet clinics may be a long way from your home, please do let me know if you can't find your way to these clinics or if there's another issue such as a clinic closing so that I can continue trying to find vet clinics and veterinarians in your area....

Here's what I've managed to find so far:

Clinica Veterinaria Pet Vet Kamu
Calle Maestra Aspiazu, Edificio Azahar, Puebla Lucia, Fuengirola,(Málaga)
29640 Spain  
work(+34) 952 66 73 33  
contact@petvetkamu.com
http://www.petvetkamu.com/

Clinica Veterinaria Teckel
Calle Cartama No.11 La Cala de Mijas Malaga
29649 Spain  
work952 49 41 02 / cell655 069 997  
vet@clinicateckel.com
http://www.clinicateckel.com

The following clinics came up during my search, I have no idea if it's feasible for you to travel to Manila or not since I've been unable to find a map depicting both places....If you can't use these vet clinics because you're a substantial distance away from them, don't worry about it - I'll continue to try and find clinics in your area, if I had a specific town or city name I might be able to provide more specific information....From what I understand you're not terribly far from Sri Lanka and as far as I know there are some vets around that area...

SN VETERINARY CLINIC
2254 Dimasalang Street, Sampaloc, Manila (02) 7435849

LABRADOR VETERINARY CLINIC
2807 J. Luna Street, Gagalangin Tondo, Manila (02) 2515169

JOSE ABAD SANTOS VETERINARY CLINIC
1918-C Jose Abad Santos Street, Sta Cruz Manila (02) 2549430

DAPITAN VETERINARY CLINIC
1913 Dapitan Street, Sampaloc, Manila (02) 7419410

CARLOS DOG AND CAT CLINIC
839 Romualdez St. Ermita, Manila 1000 Philippines
eMail: mdch@itextron.com Phone: (02)5251041 Cellphone: Fax: (02)8966485
Dr.DR. ENRIQUE T. CARLOS PRC License # 0587

Animal Yard Veterinary Clinic and Pet Shop
2583 Espiritu St. corner Ocampo Ave
Malate, Manila