Compulsory spaying/neutoring

MsFifers

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23359355/

The above link is to a story that says that in L.A. they are bringing in a law that all dogs and cats must be neutered by 4 months of age (exemptions for guide dogs, show dogs etc) or else owners will be prosecuted. They are doing it in order to bring about a no-kill policy in all of their animal shelters.

Hah! Can you imagine if that was introduced here? Even some of my very considerate, well informed, animal owning friends are extremely reluctant to get their animals neutered. I cannot understand it.

What do you think? Should animal welfare organisations be calling for a similar law here?

Sigma Force

Us Irish don't like changes to the rules but at the end of the day if we can manage to fill up our recycle bins and stop smoking in public places we can manage one more change to our old habits.

Glowing

Yeah that would be a great idea (unlikely to ever come about though) - however something would have to be done about the cost first ....

Chet T16

4 months is a bit young for a cat isn't it? We normally go 6 months but one of the last ones needed to wait another month as she was too dinky

I think its irresponsible not to get them done but making it the law seems a bit excessive

Whats the average price for getting them done? Our 3 cost 300 (cats, 2 female and 1 male) Our vets never been cheap but we like them and thats more important to us!

hadook

Most breeders of giant breed dogs advise against neutering before 6 months at the earliest and some suggest leaving it til as late as 18 months or 2 years because of the way they develop.

I had an almightly fight with a breeder over Yama Moo when I had her neutered at 8 months (the dog, not the breeder unfortunately ). I wouldn't mind but she wasn't even Yamas breeder!

Vegeta

I think this is a good idea for any dog who will never be bred but all that would happen is responsible dog owners would comply and the people who treat animals poorly in the first place wont do a thing

kerrysgold

I think it's a good idea but I think 6 month's would have been better.

MsFifers

Chet T16 wrote: »

Whats the average price for getting them done? Our 3 cost 300 (cats, 2 female and 1 male) Our vets never been cheap but we like them and thats more important to us!

Holy Moly! Thats excessive! I paid 75 in total or a female & male.

I think making it compulsory would be good - because it would help inform people that its better for the animals. My point is - so many reasonably responsible people don't actually realise that they SHOULD be neutering their animals. There is still this mindset that its cruel or a complicated operation.

tallus

Got my kitten done a week ago and it cost me 75Euro.
With reference to the OP: I think it would be a good thing, but is it enforcable ? I mean how would they police it.

Demonique

Four months is NOT too early to neuter cats seeing as cats can become PREGNANT at six months

kerrysgold

I was only referring to dog's, I agree about 4 months for a cat, I think I read somewhere that they can actually start breeding at 5 months?

Lauragoesmad

My friend got a cat from the pound. They told her she was 5 months old. About 5 weeks after she got her, the cat had 5 kittens, a week before she was booked in to be neutered! Dodgy pound giving out preggers cats!!
I just thought it was funny coz she thought she was getting one pet and really got 6.

kerrysgold

oh dear, that was a bit of a suprise! I wouldn't mind actually but 7 x neuter bills wouldn't be so cute lol. Is she going to get them neutered before she find's homes? I'd be worried that the new owners wouldn't bother, especially if strangers adopted them.

Lauragoesmad

She kept 3 but they all got neutered. A great vet on the Raheny Road gave her a great price for all 6 of them. Can't remember the exact price but I remember thinking it was really cheap at the time. She kept the mammy and 2 kittens and she rehomed the other 3.

kerrysgold

aw that was nice of him, a stray cat wandered into my neighbours before and had her kittens there so she kept mum and a kitten but unfortunatly mum went missing she actually had 2 litters because after the first one the vet told her to wait a few weeks before spaying her and in the mean time she got pregnant again :rolleyes:

Morganna

If every cat and dog where neutred there would be no cats or dogs.I dont agree with compulsory neutering .I do agree with responsible ownership.

lurchin along

Sadly it is not possible to legislate against idiocy.There arf so many differences in maturation rates in different breeds a sweeping legislation on neutering would do more harm than good.DON'T FOR A MOMENT think I'm anti neuter!I'm seriously 'potless' from paying for neutering the FLOOD of rescues that have come in lately!Just today I saw a man off with a flea in his ear.He asked me a few weeks ago about a small terrier for his animal mad 10yr old daughter.He came back today and I showed him the gorgeous Mimi,a young JRT bitch.I guess he wants a dog to teach his child about the birds and the bees-Mimi was of no interest to him because she's neutered!

iguana

So if all dogs and cats have to be neutered where exactly is the next generation of dogs and cats supposed to come from?

Btw, generally all assistance dogs are neutered as a matter of course.

BryanL

i think it would have almost no effect. People shouldn't let their dogs and cats stray and wander as it is.
Bryan

lurchin along

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

My friend got a cat from the pound. They told her she was 5 months old. About 5 weeks after she got her, the cat had 5 kittens, a week before she was booked in to be neutered! Dodgy pound giving out preggers cats!!
I just thought it was funny coz she thought she was getting one pet and really got 6.

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the shelter,that early in the pregnancy it wouldn't show and the adopter should have taken the cat straight to the vet for neutering anyway.It would have been perfect timing for an abortion.

lurchin along

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

My friend got a cat from the pound. They told her she was 5 months old. About 5 weeks after she got her, the cat had 5 kittens, a week before she was booked in to be neutered! Dodgy pound giving out preggers cats!!
I just thought it was funny coz she thought she was getting one pet and really got 6.

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the shelter,that early in the pregnancy it wouldn't show and the adopter should have taken the cat straight to the vet for neutering anyway.It would have been perfect timing for an abortion.

lurchin along

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

My friend got a cat from the pound. They told her she was 5 months old. About 5 weeks after she got her, the cat had 5 kittens, a week before she was booked in to be neutered! Dodgy pound giving out preggers cats!!
I just thought it was funny coz she thought she was getting one pet and really got 6.

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the shelter,that early in the pregnancy it wouldn't show and the adopter should have taken the cat straight to the vet for neutering anyway.It would have been perfect timing for an abortion.

emsy g

great idea for regular pet owners,there's no point and it's not fair in bringing more unwanted animals into the world,we're already flooded.Dog/cat breeders,with licences and the right set up,should be the only ones who should have un-neutered animals,although mongrels and cross breeds are better than pedigree's in my opinion,they usually have more character....mind you,i've known some lovely pedigree's too...whatever,if your a responsible owner you'll have your animal snip snipped,my friend reckons it's mean and doesn't want to do it to his dog but the dumbass also lets his dog disappear for days on end and it really pisses me off.guaranteed he's impregnated plenty of bitches and those poor pups have either been drowned,sent to pounds or abandoned....i've given up pleading with him,he just doesn't get it and i'm not going to harrass him about it

emsy g

mind you...someones going to eventually do something about it and poor old groovy is the one that's going to pay the price

BeerWolf

This gets done, puppy farming gurranteed to increase dramatically and animals get sold overpriced and such from Joe Hick with increase of Inbreeding on both parts.