Years ago, when I took my cat to be spayed, I asked the vet why they could not do a simple tubal ligation, instead of removing the entire uterus and ovaries. I was told that the tubes could grow back together and the cat could still get pregnant. Here is the thing though: I had a female cat who was pregnant while I was pregnant with my youngest daughter. Her kittens were born first. While I was giving birth (at home) she lay at the end of the bed, nursing her newborn kittens. It was a beautiful moment. Shortly thereafter, I took her to be spayed. To my dismay, upon her return she would have nothing more to do with her kittens, in spite of the fact that they were not yet weaned. I gave away one of the two kittens, but the one I kept was needy and insecure.
Fast forward several years and that mother cat became insatiably hungry. I took her to the vet, thinking perhaps she had worms; but I was told she had hypothyroid. The thyroid apparently is where hormones are (or are not) produced. The doctor prescribed a pill which I then had to give her for the remainder of her life.
I currently have a two year old male cat. I (dutifully) had him neutered shortly after I adopted him, when he was about six months old. He has been exhibiting the same behavior as my previous female cat, acting like he is starving regardless how much I feed him. These days we have Google at our disposal whenever we want to know something. My search told me that hyperthyroidism occurs mainly in older cats. I have been giving him ground pumpkin seeds as a dewormer, in case the problem is parasites, but it is not helping. Time to consult Google again.
It turns out that the main reason veterinarians do not perform the less invasive tubal ligations and vasectomies is because they are not taught to do them in vet school! The truth is that tubal ligation and vasectomy on cats can be easily accomplished with the proper knowledge and instruments, but they will not do these because (their excuse) is that it doesn’t remove “hormonally influenced behaviors.” Not all pet spays and neuters result in hormonal imbalances, but I suspect that many of them do. I think it may depend upon the timing in the cat’s hormonal cycles that affect the outcome. Women who undergo hysterectomies are required to take hormones for the rest of their lives; but cats are run through the factory of the vet’s busy day and sent home. Clearly, the pharmaceutical giants are behind this. Women taking hormones, and cats having to be on meds for life, is ensuring their profits – not to mention that major surgeries cost considerably more than the less invasive ones.
I have managed to steer clear of medical doctors for most of my life. I am angry and frustrated now that I know the veterinarians in which I had entrusted the care of my cats, have actually caused their suffering. There are three possible ways for treating hyperthyroidism in cats. The least expensive (costing between $600 and $900 a year) is the administration of the drug methimazole. The second choice is injecting radioactive iodine (costing between $1,685 to $1,910.) The third choice is surgery, which may require multiple surgeries (costing several thousand dollars!) I will, of course, seek out a holistic vet and natural hormonal supplementation for my cat; the fact that I have been lied to yet again has put me on high alert.
2 OCTOBER 2023 ANOTHER LIE?
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