To let my cat have kittens

[Mittens1969]

This is a more lighthearted thread than my two previous ones, but I'm fully expecting to be flamed by some posters on here, especially those who work in cat rescue centres.

I've had cats all through my life, I have 4 furry friends atm. I've finally given into temptation to let one of my cats, a 1 year old black and white female, to have one litter of kittens before having her spayed.

We used to let our cats have a couple of litters of kittens when I was growing up, and we never had any problems finding homes for them. I've never done this with cats since I've grown up, I've had a number of cats and I've always had them spayed/neutered.

But this time I couldn't resist. And I already know it won't be hard to find homes for the kittens and I intend to look after them for as long as necessary. I'll have 2 DDs who want to keep them of course.

So that's my AIBU basically. I would also be interested in suggestions from people who have done this.

YABU and stupid. I can't believe someone has even had to write out the math for you. It's not just one litter. eye roll

Get your bloody cat spayed. YABU.

Or you give them away to some random off Facebook or gumtree and they end up as dog bait.
But don't worry, you got some kittens to play with while they were cute.

Its foolish to attribute human emotions to them

This. It's a cat, it has no concept of missing out on anything since spaying removes their biological urges.

YABU

There are so many kittens and cats out there looking for a home and you will just add to the problem. Are you prepared to take in any of the litter if the owners change their minds years down the line?

If you want to fill your home with cute little fluffy kittens then foster some rescue kittens.

After all ask yourselves. How would you feel if someone sterilized you and stopped you from having babies.

This is incredibly stupid - anthropomorphosising animals who hardly wring their tiny paws about gender neutral litter trays or even go out of their way to keep in touch with their offspring once they're weaned - and also pretty offensive to MNers who manage to get through their lives without reproducing, for whatever reason.

Just why?

Do you realise it actually hurts them to mate? That's why they yowl so much.

We have a rescue-abandoned at 5days old. Completely confused now as our dog brought her up she she doesn't lie on you lap curled up-she's at full stretch in the middle of the floor instead.

Everything else has already been said. YRBVVVVVVVU

Also, OP, a few things to bear in mind with pregnant and nursing cats:

It costs money. Her appetite will be considerable and she will need high calorie food during this time. You may well find you need to involve a vet although to be fair most people just don't bother and hey, it's only a dead kitten and cats aren't bothered anyway right ? (Aww take note: cats giving birth is risky and one or more kitten dying is common. This is far, far more distressing to her than not having kittens at all.)

At about 3 weeks their eyes open and their start to play. They are nocturnal and noisy. They scratch things and they charge around.

At 6/7 weeks they start eating solid food. Big grocery bill for mummy cat is now nothing. They also start shitting everywhere.

At 8/9 weeks they are just gorgeous. Tiny, with big blue eyes. They are also a pain in the fucking arse. They shit and piss constantly. They are sick a lot. They fight amongst themselves and 'hunt your feet, hair, kids toys. They are also driving their mother to distraction by pouncing on her tail, chewing her ears and climbing on her. She's a patient lady but she will be exhausted. But they can't go to new homes yet although silly people try because they still need socialising.

At 11/12 weeks they can go to new homes. Mummy will miss them and cry for them. It's heartbreaking.

I've fostered pregnant cats. I get the desire to play with kittens. It's magical. But its also wrong, so wrong, for the kittens, for your cat, and for every cat in a rescue centre. Please don't do it. Please.

YABVU. There are so many homeless cats and kittens out there so you'd just be adding to the problem.
FFS neuter your pets!

If you really want a kitten experience, apply to the cat charities to be a fosterer and take in a pregnant mum. Please don't cause yet more unwanted kittens to be born to the world when shelters are heaving with unwanted litters and adult cats. Get her spayed. Cats have no concept of missing out on parenthood.

Babyspider- Are you on glue? Or are you seriously trying to push those human feelings onto a cat. I really don't think they care about reproducing

So you're sending your not fully grown cat out to get impregnated by a random cat, hoping she finds one with an owner irresponsible enough to own an unneutered tom, but responsible enough that it's fully vaccinated against STDs, rather than one that's unvaccinated or a feral stray...

Then you're hoping that your cat is in fact physically and mentally mature enough to carry, deliver and bring up kittens, despite it not being an adult cat yet...

and just to top it off, you're not even keeping the kittens?...

Yep, dead reasonable

As someone said, total unreasonable bollocks when thousands of cats are languishing in shelters waiting for homes. Totally unreasonable to add to the problem.

I recently adopted two kittens from the Cats Protection. I tried several animal shelters in my area over a period of several weeks before I found one with kittens available for adoption. My next door neighbours were trying for months before kittens became available for them to adopt.

There is not an overabundance of kittens in my area looking for homes.

People now pay for kittens when in years past. Round about here, people will pay over £60 for a farm kitten, and a pet shop in the south side of Glasgow sells non pedigree kittens for over £100.

And yes, I'm aware that this is a mark of the great success of the promotion of neutering, but I'm sure the OP will be able to find good homes for her cat's kittens.

in years past kittens were given away for nothing.

I think Aww is confusing emotion with instinct,

We have an instinct to reproduce otherwise the human or cat race would die out. When young are here, all mammals have an instinct to look after them, unless trauma has been experienced and is just as troubling in cats as humans by the way.

What cats cannot do is miss an instinct they never had. Neutering a cat doesn't take away their sexuality, because they don't really have it, just an instinct to reproduce. Likewise, a cat can experience distress on the death of a kitten or a kitten being taken away from her, but she can't mourn the kittens she never had.

Honestly, anyone wanting a loving cat, just ask your rescue centre for the cuddliest cat they have. Then you've done so much good, your donation has kept your rescue centre open, they can take in another cat with the space you created and you haven't contributed to the overpopulation of cats! Win win.

My cat had kittens and as much as I love them, I'd have never let her get pregnant if it could have been helped. (She was booked in for a spay which was cancelled, I went on holiday and left her with my BIL who let her out and she got caught.)

I have homes for them. There are cats and kittens being killed every day all over because they are no homes for them.

You'd be mad to breed more unless there was a very specific call for them (rare breed, for example).

Seeing seriously that isn't typical.

YSBU

How will you vet people so you know they will go to good homes? Too many stories about kittens being used as bait.

As a kitten fosterer, I agree with everything ophelia says. Yes they're adorable but they're also hard work. I've shouted at my lot tonight because they wouldn't come inside when it got dark (they're 4 months old, not mine and there's foxes, dogs and Tom cats about) and then they stamped filthy wet feet all over my laptop and paperwork when I was trying to work.

They've settled down now and they will cuddle up to me in bed but only after I've cleaned their litter trays for the third time today and dispensed yet more food in case they get hungry in the night.

YABVU

Please, don't 'let' your cat have kittens. As many others have said, there are thousands of stray/abandoned/feral cats and kittens in the UK alone, and, whilst you might make sure your kittens go to good homes, spare a thought.

For the older cats who are given up when they become an inconvenience, for the kittens that families just can't afford to keep, for the cats with expensive health issues whose owners can't afford vet treatment, and all of the cats in between. There are also an abundance of health issues which can affect female cats who aren't neutered, so please read up about them, specifically pyometra.

YABU and you know it

Too many unwanted cats in shelters already. You may have homes for cute kittens but chances are at least some of them will have a totally predictable chance in circumstances and end up getting rid of their by then adult cat.

A cat isn't a human ffs. It doesn't have human emotions. It can't long for kittens it never had. You aren't doing it a favour by "letting" it have kittens. You're putting it through considerable pain and stress of mating, pregnancy, birth, motherhood and then separation. For your own selfish reasons.

My cat had kittens, I fucked up.

It was a lovely experience and although I don't think I would ever go as far to allow it on purpose I am really pleased it happened.

I have to say nothing opheliacat said was recognisable to me from my experience so maybe I was very lucky.

YABVU

Yes you might find homes for the kittens, but do you understand that this means that 5 existing cats/kittens have missed out on a home? There are animals being put to sleep due to overcrowding ffs.