06/06/2026
Trigger Warning: This shared post discusses a difficult but deeply necessary topic in animal welfare: spay/abort.
No one likes making this decision, but when shelters are over-flowing and euthanizing and rescues are full to capacity, short fosters and funds, it is the most compassionate choice we can make. Letting pregnant cats/dogs give birth adds to an already overwhelmed system where resources are stretched thin and many innocent lives face terrible fates outdoors.
Spay-abort prevents suffering before it begins. It breaks the cycle of unwanted litters, abandonment, and disease while protecting the mother’s health and giving already born animals the best shot at a home. We must focus on prevention to save lives.🐾
The un-named rescue referred to in this post, now has multiple problems on their hands including medical expenses for kittens, which will take money from ‘preventing suffering’ through TNR. And, other cats/kittens placed at risk. All preventable!
Please read and while you do so, keep in mind, the poor mom was brought in to have her kittens and was then considered expendable.
Thank you to Feral Cat Coalition for putting it out there! This educational post serves to show the trickle down effects of not performing spay/abort.
It’s a tough decision no one takes lightly and we have to live with, but to not spay/abort and know that we would be part of contributing to the suffering we see, well, that would be even harder to live with.
Feral Cat Coalition/Drs. made the absolute right decision for this poor mom. If only she had never been placed in the position by the rescue of giving birth, think how much suffering could have been prevented for both her and her kittens.😢
I debated whether this post was worth the energy to write. I am angry. So angry.
This story does not have a happy ending. Although this cat is no longer suffering, perhaps that is at least a comforting ending.
No names or rescues will be mentioned in this post.
Today, two people from Riverside brought in multiple cats. Several were thin, lactating females. One of them was an incredibly sweet girl who clearly didn't feel well. She looked exhausted and weak. It breaks my heart that I didn't get a photo of her before anesthesia.
While she was asleep, we discovered she had severe dental disease and would need nearly all of her teeth removed. Because she was lactating, we were concerned that kittens might still be relying on her and that she would need to be returned quickly. I called the trapper, who informed me that she was part of their rescue groups TNR program and was currently in foster after raising a litter of kittens.
The trapper explained that they had encountered many pregnant cats and brought them all indoors to give birth. They planned to keep all the kittens and return all the mothers back outside.
At that point, I had to remind myself that we are not the police. We cannot tell a rescue what they can or cannot do. What we can do is point out how cruel it is to allow so many kittens to come into the world while kittens are dying on the streets every day.
Still, I tried to see the positive. This was a rescue, after all. Surely they could keep this mother cat, raise funds for her dental care, treat her medical needs, and eventually place her for adoption.
Instead, the rescuer told me to euthanize her because they did not have the resources to care for her.
To them, this sweet mother cat was merely a vessel. As long as her kittens were cared for, her life no longer mattered.
After expressing how disappointing that was to hear, I told them we would try to find another option. Our friends at Smittens agreed that if we could find a foster, they would take her. We proceeded with our standard protocol and tested her for FeLV.
The positive result broke our hearts.
Suddenly, everything made sense. The weakness. The exhaustion. Her body was shutting down.
After discussions with our veterinarian and rescue partners, we all came to the same conclusion: the kindest thing we could do for her was humane euthanasia.
We let her go peacefully, surrounded by people who cared.
She is gone now.
This rescue must now care for her kittens and follow FeLV protocols for months before those kittens can even be considered for adoption. All we can do is hope they live long, healthy lives.
Their mother sacrificed everything for them.
As if that weren't enough, this mother cat was not the only concern. Several of the other lactating females brought in today have ringworm. That means they have now exposed not only their own kittens, but every cat and kitten they have come into contact with. What started as a decision to allow pregnancies to continue has now created a much larger welfare and medical crisis for countless animals. The consequences extend far beyond a single litter.
Please terminate every feline pregnancy. There is no such thing as "too far along." If your veterinarian says no, find one who understands the reality of the overpopulation crisis.
We recognize that spay and neuter services are not equally accessible everywhere. But in Southern California—where many of our followers live—there are clinics willing to make the necessary choice.
Every litter born is competing for homes that already do not exist. Every preventable pregnancy matters.
There is no more room and we are actively returning kittens back to the street after spay/neuter.
-Audrey
