Catholic teaching on animal life?

[Unique_name]

I’m wondering what the Church teaches about an animal ethics issue I’m dealing with.

My cat is supposed to be a strictly indoor cat, but she got out last spring when we went ok vacation and we had a house sitter. She was still just a kitten so we hadn’t gotten her spayed yet, and she got pregnant.

Fast forward to this autumn/winter, we had major financial difficulties and couldn’t afford to get her spayed after she gave birth to the kittens. She escaped again three nights ago and we just got her back tonight. There is a very high probability that she is pregnant again.

We definitely can’t afford to deal with a litter of kittens again. Her first litter was 7 babies we didn’t find homes for them all until they were 4 months old. It became a serious hygienic problem for us, and the animal shelter has a wait list on surrendering kittens that we’d never reach the end on.

This time around, I am pregnant and cannot deal with cat litter at all. My husband will be gone on military orders for a month right near the end of my pregnancy and I’ll probably have to hire someone to come clean my cat box each week while he’s gone already. There is no way we can add multiple kittens into the mix.

The thing is, our cat is a very beloved member of our family. We don’t dress her up and call her “my baby” or anything but we do cherish her as a pet.

What does the Church teach about spaying a pregnant cat? It would necessarily cause her kittens to be aborted.

Thank you!

 

[Cruciferi]

What does the Church teach about spaying a pregnant cat? It would necessarily cause her kittens to be aborted.

There’s no specific teaching for this particular situation.

Nevertheless, spaying or neutering an animal is not considered a sin. As distasteful as this might seem, it doesn’t sound like you have any another option.

 

[CarmeliteKnight]

Sell the kittens you can’t afford. Turn your liability into equity. Your promiscuous cat is doing you a favor and making you money, and you don’t even know it.

 

[Unique_name]

There is such an overpopulation of kittens in my area that people have a hard time giving them away for free. That’s why it’s such a problem.

 

[CRV]

In my career working for vets, I can recall only one spey when the pet was pregnant. It is very dangerous due to the higher blood loss and risk of dying of the mother pet.

Consult your vet asap concerning possible speying of your cat. Obviously if a vet will do it, then the earlier in the pregnancy the better it is for the pet with less risk.

 

[CarmeliteKnight]

Ahh okay, that context definitely complicates things…hmm.

Is the shelter the only animal group that will take the kittens? Is there no animal non-profits that will take care of the little ones?

If worse comes to worst, one could always contact PETA and they will be more than happy to euthanize the kittens. Not that I want that to happen, but it is an option.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

You can spay the cat. The Church does not teach against abortion for cats.

I would suggest speaking to your veterinarian about whether the procedure is dangerous for your cat or not. I would also suggest doing this sooner rather than later.

 

[Irishmom2]

OP, you have received good responses already, but I just want to add that you need to get a handle on my your cat is “escaping” in such a way that it is not immediately grabbed and returned into the house. I would be saying this whether your cat was spayed or not. Indoor cats should not be outside for their own safety. You are responsible for that cats well-being. At the very latest, your cat should have been spayed after her first litter of kittens.

 

[Unique_name]

Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I don’t see how this is much different than telling a mom considering an abortion that she should have thought about that before she got pregnant, but maybe I am just more sensitive than usual due to my own pregnancy. My cat squeezed through a sliding glass door that accidentally bumped open two inches when my husband slammed it shut too hard after letting the dog back in. We didn’t realize she was gone in time to just grab her, and we live in the country with fields on all sides of us.

As mentioned in my OP, we hit major financial difficulties and couldn’t afford to spay her after her litter. This month is our first since where we can breathe a little easier and we were planning on taking her in next week. It was bad timing.
And as I mentioned to someone who PM’d me saying that if we were facing financial difficulties we had no business vacationing, it was a very short road trip to visit my brother. I didn’t ask for advice on how to manage my finances (I have a financial counselor for that) or judgement for my cat getting out twice in a year. I asked what the Churches stance on animal euthanasia very early on in pregnancy was when the health of a human mother and fetus was at stake (due to excessive cat litter).

Again, maybe I’m just more sensitive due to hormones (I’m usually very good at letting things like this roll off me) but I don’t see how saying “you should have” is helpful at all.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Just wanted to add that it’s definitely NOT a good idea to re-home animals on Craigslist. A lot of people who take cats from there are looking for pit bull bait or are otherwise abusive. They will pretend to be loving pet owners and then like I said use the cats for bad purposes. Facebook may be slightly better, but only if you or your friends know the person who is taking the animal or can do some screening in that regard.

Unless you can place the kits with good friends of yours who you know well and know that they will provide a good home, your best bet is to try to place them with a no-kill rescue, which may be difficult as rescues get full very fast during “kitten season” times of year; or else with a county shelter, where they run the risk of being killed if the shelter has too many cats, or in some places dying from disease. County shelters really vary based on who is running them. Some are good and some are awful.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

As mentioned in my OP, we hit major financial difficulties and couldn’t afford to spay her after her litter. This month is our first since where we can breathe a little easier and we were planning on taking her in next week. It was bad timing.

If I were you I would go ahead and take her in for the spay now like you planned. It sounds like the most reasonable alternative given all the circumstances.

 

[EndTimes]

What does the Church teach about spaying a pregnant cat? It would necessarily cause her kittens to be aborted.

Nothing actual very specific to that particular situation of yours.

That said, perhaps you can draw from Cathoic Teachings on Animals

CCC Respect for the integrity of creation

**[2415] The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity.195 Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.196

**[2416] Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory.197 Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals.

**[2417] God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image.198 Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives.

**[2418] It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.