I was a member of a Facebook group called The Bengal Cat Community Club- every second post was a complaint about a cat peeing inappropriately…
At the same time, comments were filled with exortations to spay and neuter kittens as early as possible…
Many breeders were having surgeries performed on kittens before leaving the cattery…(at 3 months old)
I was shocked at the seeming lack of information about urinary incontinence being directly linked to early sterilization surgeries- in fact the earlier a surgery is done the more likely organs were not fully developed, resulting in the inability to hold their urine well…(20 years ago, surgeries were at 9-12 months old)
Incontinence is the number one reason pets are given up- in fact, it is the same with the elderly- incontinence is the biggest reason why people are sent to long term care facilities…
Veterinarians have come forward to discuss other ways to raise pets- possibly better ways than surgical sterility as an inevitable decision…
The Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs mentions the Suprelorin implant for cats- which suppresses hormonal behaviour…
Phytopet Balance is an herbal liquid that can be added to wet food- 15 drops for a 15 lb cat approximately- based on Chasteberry Vitex, it keeps them out of heat seasons- Vitex is a progesterone type herb…
The thermometer method, or Qtip method, is taught by breeders as a way to pull a mewing female cat out of heat quickly…
Nutrition can play a major role- freeze dried raw food is a tremendous improvement over kibble- putting less burden on kidneys, and thus contributing to better litter box habits- it can be free fed dry as well for convenience…
Many have had success with Feliway spray, diffusers, and collars- for anxiety produced problems- this is a pheromone based product…
Personally, we had 2 intact female bengal cats for 18 years- we gave them Balance from Phytopet in wet food daily- cost was about $12 monthly for both- we ordered it from England from Swallow Healthy Diet in cases of 12 bottles…Now you can find this product on Amazon Canada which is easier…
We now have 2 male bengals who are still intact at 1 year of age…I am hoping we will be able to keep them intact as well…Why? We are not breeding them…
Ever notice how fat and lazy spayed and neutered cats become? How people are so ecstatic about getting kittens, but after spay and neuter surgeries, not only does the kitten lose oomph, but the owner does too?
20 years ago they used to say if I did not spay our cats they would get cancer…These days they swear they will get pyometra, a rather rare condition actually…
Breeders often keep a male intact who is used to stud many different females…In cage free facilities, often females are impregnated at 1 year of age- despite the fact that bengal cats do not reach adulthood until 2 years of age…
My husband says the main reason for the spay neuter push is to avoid unwanted births…But if your cat is a fully indoor cat, they are not going outside to roam and mate?
My last comment in that Facebook group was to support someone who did not want to neuter his kitten…I said that ethically I agreed that it would be nice if we could keep our cats intact…A few days later I found I had been removed from the group without notice or explanation????!