The post An Owner’s Manual on Spaying or Neutering Your Cat: Why Not to Feel Guilt by Dr. Lauren Demos DVM (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Hi, I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two adventurous cats, Pancake and Tiller. Having your cat spayed or neutered can lead to many complicated feelings. Worry over the procedure, worry about the anesthetic, concerns about how to help with their recovery process, and guilt over making the decision to do it in the first place. I know just how difficult it can be, as I spayed both of my own cats, and the worry, before, during and after, was real! This article is designed to help you, as an owner, make informed decisions about the importance of these procedures, and what actions you can take to make them smooth, safe, and guilt-free. Spaying and Neutering 101 Spaying and neutering, in short, are surgeries designed to remove the reproductive organs from a female, or male, cat, respectively. They can colloquially be referred to as desexing, or castration, as well. Technically, they can be performed on cats of any age; however, there are compelling reasons to do this while cats are still young, which we will look at shortly. So why do we, as vets, strongly recommend that you spay or neuter your cat? There is a significant reduction in breast cancer in female cats when they are spayed before their first heat cycle. Breast cancer in cats tends to be very aggressive, and ultimately deadly, so any opportunity to reduce this risk is an important opportunity In males and females, desexing leads to a reduction of unwanted behaviors for pet cats, including indoor marking, yowling during heat, and roaming.  And intact male cat urine is undoubtedly pungent! Unowned cat numbers are staggering. Spaying or neutering cats reduces unowned cat numbers. Ways To Decrease Your Guilt Guilt. It can be a strong emotion, and has no single root cause. Often it involves a feeling of self-consciousness, and reflection upon oneself or one’s action. When choosing to have your cat desexed, guilt can arise from a variety of thoughts. You may feel guilty about the stress caused to your cat, guilt that you have removed their ability to procreate, guilt about potential changes that may occur to your cat after surgery, or guilt that they will be “upset” with you.. If you are feeling guilty, one of the most important things you can do is to talk about it. The farther in advance of the surgery, the better, as you want to be as comfortable as possible on the day your cat will be having their procedure. Talk with your vet, to start; if needed, make an appointment, specifically that reason, so they can alleviate your concerns. Discuss with family, as well, since they can often factor into the decision, and hence the guilt. Worry can also sometimes present as guilt, so take time to reflect on any concerns you have. Try not to anthropomorphize; cats don’t have the same emotional experience we do. That’s not to say they don’t have emotions- but they don’t worry or stress (as far as we know) in the same ways that we do. What you are worrying about, is likely insignificant to your cat, who is more concerned about when dinner is coming, and less concerned about what is happening tomorrow. If one of your worries is post-op guilt, then rest assured. Many of the things that people worry about, such as a perception that a cat will become less cuddly or be angry with you for electing the surgery, are generally not founded. Take action. See steps below to find ways to help you take action, and gain more control of the situation, which can help lessen your sense of helplessness, and therefore guilt. Also, read the Owner’s Manual on Pain that I wrote a few articles back, to better understand what you can look for post-op to help keep your cat as comfortable as possible! I’m glad that Pancake and Tiller are both spayed, but the worry, before and after, was real! Ways to Prep to Make Yourself Feel Less Guilty Taking action helps many people to feel less guilty. The first thing is to know what to expect for surgery. Asking for a checklist, doing background reading, and having a plan for the day before, of, and after surgery, helps. Knowing is half the battle, as a famous 80s slogan said. Day Before Surgery Your vet will often want your cat fasted at some point; ask for confirmation. Generally, however, water is still allowed. Don’t wait until today to get the carrier out- this often signals change to your cat! Instead have it out for a few days prior. Get a favorite toy or blanket that smells of home, and put that in the carrier, as well. Decide if you will be having your cat microchipped at the time of surgery. This is a great time to have the procedure done, as your cat will be anesthetized. It’s a highly recommended procedure within the veterinary community, as unfortunately, lost cats can’t tell us where they’ve come from. Day of Surgery Know techniques for putting your cat into the carrier, and use these instead of just stuffing your cat in, which adds stress to everyone involved. If you have sibling cats, consider having their surgeries on the same day. That way, they smell similarly strange, which can sometimes cause tension when one cat smells differently than the other, after being at the vet for a day. Write down any questions you may have, and ask these at the time of dropping off, or picking them up. Know the best number to contact you today, and times you aren’t available, and let your vet know. Know what is normal, and to be expected the days after surgery, before taking your cat home. Have phone numbers to call if you have any concerns. Does your cat have sutures to take care of, or are they all internal? A little preparation will make all the difference! Day After Surgery Know what medications to give, and what day, and time of day, they start Know when re-checks are needed If ever in doubt, ask Guilt doesn’t have to be a part of choosing to do what, most professionals would agree, spaying or neutering is the right choice for your cat. There’s an old surgical saying: “To cut is a chance to cure.” In the case of desexing your cat, there is nothing truer. This article is a part of Dr. Lauren, Pancake, and Tiller's series. Read her previous article: Why Do Cats Groom? Pancake, Tiller & the Latest Theories The post An Owner’s Manual on Spaying or Neutering Your Cat: Why Not to Feel Guilt by Dr. Lauren Demos DVM (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Books short fiction Five Stories That Explore Transformation After Death Imagining the afterlife through the lens of various different objects and entities… what might you become? By Ratika Deshpande | Published on August 7, 2024 Photo by Pascal Müller [via Unsplash] Comment 0 Share New Share Photo by Pascal Müller [via Unsplash] I don’t believe in the afterlife; it has brought me much comfort to think that once I’m gone, I won’t know I’m gone. Who wants to hang around and watch other people live while you can’t? Who wants to sit there and think for eternity? Not me, thank you very much. But while a real-life afterlife is an unnerving concept for me, the idea of continuing to exist after you die does make for excellent stories, especially when you become some new thing, as in the following examples: A candle and other household objects “I Had Never Been a Candle” by Freydís Moon Emilio died of a virus. Now, although his ashes are in a painted urn, he is many things—a candle, his mother’s shoe (allowing him to accompany her to the garden), a curtain in the living room, wool that his sister used to make a hat. As he watches his family grieve, he considers how he didn’t have time enough to think what it would be like to die, and what it’s actually like. He wants to tell his people what he really wanted, and how he’s now experiencing a feeling that he didn’t expect, a possibility he hadn’t considered. Stories about death are commonly grim, but I absolutely loved the positive perspective Moon brings to this universal experience. Driftwood “Driftwood” by E.M. Linden When you die, you find yourself looking at a vast sea, countless sand dunes, and a large beach dominated by driftwood sculptures, new ones arriving and old ones vanishing every day. They intimidate you with their beauty and monstrosity, but at least you have company. On the horizon, the sky is full of stars, the place where you must go. The longer you stay on the beach, the more difficult it becomes to remember colors, things, names. If you don’t want to be turned into driftwood too, you need to move on. You need to be brave. Are you? A tree “The Tree in the Back Yard” by Michelle Yoon Mariska lives on the mountains-turned-islands in what used to be the countries of Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, now mostly under the sea. When people die, their loved ones often send them to the Tower of Eternity Pods, where their spirits linger. Making a tree out of a person is a way of giving back to the planet after taking so much from it. When Mariska’s mother had died, they’d scattered her ashes in the sea. She isn’t ready to do the same with her father’s remains, so she sends his body to the Tower instead. But when she finally visits the place and finds his spirit among the thousands of the others—something not everyone can do—she is hit with a feeling she’s only experienced once before, when her mother connected to her grandmother through a medium back in her childhood. Now she needs to consider if it’s always a good idea to be able to hang on to the ones you lost. A while ago I read an interesting article about the digital reminders—social media profiles, voice notes—that people leave behind after their deaths, and what their families do with these remnants of their loved ones. Yoon’s story looks at this same question in a world in which technology and spirituality co-exist. A spirit to remind people of their promises “Cherry Blossoms on the River of Souls” by Richard Parks There’s a dry well outside Hiroshi’s village and he is pulled towards it, because from the well comes sweet music he can’t ignore—music that he knows is coming from a spirit and seems to exist specifically for him. His uncle tries to tell him that the underground—the realm of the dead—is not a place with which the living should concern themselves. But when Hiroshi seems determined to follow the music, his uncle tells him how no effort at exorcism has worked—and so Hiroshi must be the one to free this spirit. But whose spirit it is, what form has it taken exactly, and why? An artificial intelligence “Confession #443 (Comments open)” by Dominica Phetteplace A group of friends were hiking along a particularly tricky part of a trail when they encountered Professor Gemain Mangleman, who was coming from the opposite direction and, because of the unexpected traffic, fell into the canyon below. The friends didn’t try to help or tell the cops. Now everywhere they go, they are haunted by the Professor’s image: the AI art generator app always returns his image, they get banner ads for his books, their smart glasses superimpose his face on other people they’re talking to. It turns out that the Professor was a controversial figure and was attempting to merge himself with an AI, which now claims to be him. How will the friends navigate the world when the Professor follows them everywhere? Will they confess? Will the ways other people have hacked into the AI perhaps frame them as guilty, or will it prove to be their salvation? [end-mark] The post Five Stories That Explore Transformation After Death appeared first on Reactor.

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