The proliferation of any species is dependent on the basic biologic urge to reproduce. In the case of cats, spay/neuter is a key element in eliminating this urge. Spay/neuter interrupts the breeding cycle, thereby directly reducing the suffering brought about by overpopulation. It's a very simple equation: fewer breeding animals equals fewer animals born outside or cast aside. The inverse is equally simple: free + kittens = problem.
I recently posted an ad for a cat named Fred on a social media page geared toward rehoming pets. Fred's a foster kitty with The Rescue and he's been around for a while, so I was attempting to widen the potential adoption pool. This strategy, although a bit hit or miss, has helped find good homes for a few of our cats in the past.
One individual who inquired about Fred let me know in no uncertain terms that she had no interest in adopting a "shelter pet" because she wasn't interested in paying the adoption fees.
Note that our rescue typically adopts out only cats that are spayed or neutered, up to date with vaccinations, and that have been FIV/FeLV tested. The adoption fees we charge range from $75 to $150 per cat, depending on the age of the cat, among other things. Our expenses in caring for the cats typically far exceed whatever adoption fee we charge.
I was grateful this person had so easily filtered herself out of the potential adoption pool, but I was also left to wonder how she intended to provide basic care for the free cat she was seeking if she couldn't afford a $75 adoption fee for a fully vetted pet. But hey, at least she was looking for one that was already spayed or neutered.
The bigger problem lies with those who give away un-vetted kittens and cats to other people who will never get the cats spayed or neutered or vaccinated. These two groups of people (or maybe it's all one group), are at the very heart of the pet overpopulation dilemma our society has been battling for so many years.
These people are sometimes outright anti-shelter (because of the fees shelters have the audacity to charge in order to defray some of their expenses), are sometimes just innocents who have no experience with animals as pets, or are sometimes people who just don't really care about animals. This last category are the biggest offenders, as they are the ones who throw the cute kitten out of a car window while driving down the road after it becomes too annoying.
It doesn't seem to matter how loud or how often we shout from the rooftops that there's a serious pet overpopulation problem in this country or offer free or low-cost veterinary options. The "free kitten" people are unstoppable.
It's guaranteed that this coming spring, as happens every year, many, many people will offer litter after litter of kittens "free" on social media, handing over the tiny innocents to the first people who respond to do with as they please. At least half the time, when our rescue group offers to help find good homes for the kittens or spay the mother cat, our offer is rebuffed.
People just don't get it. Those free kittens that never get spayed make more kittens that are given away. A good percentage of these cats end up becoming free-roaming outside cats when they are cast off or run away. But who cares?? The pet "owner" will replace them next year with another free pet easily obtained through the same channels.
And the shelters continue to fill up with cats that no one wants, and the calls continue to come in from people who expect rescue groups like ours to come get the free-roaming cats they see suffering outdoor without any regard to the fact that a feral cat can't usually be brought inside. And the cycles goes on and on. Free + kittens = problem.
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