God, I can't even imagine myself pregnant right now, veterinary school or not! My parents had me when they were 33/34, and I'm turning 24 in January. Early 30s sounds like a good age for me, but I also have some health issues that put my fertility in jeopardy which is putting a lot of pressure on my boyfriend and I. I know a few high school classmates that are on their second, third, and even fourth kids at 23. It's just crazy to me.
Plus all of the medications I'm on are definitely not safe to take during pregnancy. Like, bad things would happen. For me personally, planning for a child might take several months to a year's worth of doctor's visits and careful planning so as not to risk my personal health either. That puts even more pressure on me to start younger with the added planning time we'll have to take. My boyfriend wants children badly (not that he wants them right now or anything), so it puts me in a bad position of choosing to get my DVM and try to have a kid, or try to get a residency underway/finished then have a kid. Who knows where I'd end up for a residency, who knows if he'd get a job where I'd end up, etc. There would have to be a wedding at some point, too, because my boyfriend wants things to happen in the traditional order. That's fine with me, but he doesn't want to get married until I graduate. Which further pushes things back. So many parts to all of this!
I mean I'm not near death or anything. It's just one of those crappy things that only us lucky females get affected by. My endocrinologist also only informed me of my medications' side effects THIS YEAR and I've been seeing her since I was 18. I could have looked these things up myself, but most 18 year olds don't think about things like that. I'm just hoping life treats me well, that's all I can ask. Also sad that my little sister just got diagnosed with the same disease, so that's pretty sucky (bad breeding
my older sister has all kinds of problems too). It's just yet another thing to eat away at me as I go through these 4 years. Had I not been pre-vet, I may very well be engaged by now.
What? I already have the degree... that's the job that I put on hold to try one last time to go to vet school / get a PhD.
Just funny that you may or may not be handling my failing reproductive situation at one point!
they aren't required to.
yes, but that doesn't mean it happens every time for a variety of reasons.
Agreed. If I see tags or the cat looks to be in good condition and is friendly, it's going in my garage or laundry room until I can get it scanned for a chip or check Craiglist/lost pet ads. With that being said, I only do all of that because the first thing I think is 'lost pet.' I don't pick up cats that I know to be part of the feral colony near me.
I don't let my cats outside, because I hate seeing HBC/FeLV +/BBBD/absess/song bird fever/anticoagulent poisoned/raccoon attacked cats come in at work. There's just fewer ways for an indoor cat to get hurt or die horribly. I also volunteer as a wildlife rehabilitator, and the fatality rate for birds caught by cats is upwards of 70% (little hunters with their mouth bacteria...). So I'm really in favor of keeping cats inside for their sake and for the sake of our wildlife. All that being said, if I had a nice big back yard in a safe(r) area with fewer cars, I'd probably let my cats sun themselves outside under supervision. And I know some people who have cats that really aren't happy as indoor only cats, so I understand my preference isn't for everyone. Also, the one time my female busted through the window screen to freedom, she managed to get her collar off in the process. Sigh.
you're quoting a post from 2010. I don't even know if sumstorm even checks SDN anymore.Can you advise regarding the basis for your statement that it is legal to shoot stray/feral/roaming cats in your county? This seems a clear violation of NC state animal cruelty law, which could not be superseded by county law. Just curious, not trying to start a fight!
it may be legal to shoot them in a humane manner if they are causing problems with livestock (chickens, etc) or such. I'd have to see the actual laws, but it may not be considered cruelty if done in a certain manner.
you dont have to pass an ordinance. The exception is already stated. You can kill stray cats if they are damaging you, your property, or another animal. You can even do so if you have a suspicion that the cat has rabies.
Thanks. That's what my instincts were telling me.
Personally, I'd neuter him. I have done TNR and I know we've neutered owned cats on the regular. Not once has an owner come back to us angry that their cat was neutered. Some are pissed about the ear tip, but as far as we knew, it was a feral cat. If someone contacts you after he is neutered, you can claim ignorance. He was like that when you found him, you just didn't notice.
Uh
So far it hasn't been a problem and this rescue has been around a very long time. I have to admit, they also didn't ever really look for the original owner, and personally, I'm ok with that. I guess I just have very strong feelings about letting intact animals outside.
How do you know they all were purposefully let outside? Cats are sneaky little creatures and can slip out before you can stop them.
How many intact male cats do you have living indoors?
Is it a purebred show cat? Probably not. Most people would thank you for neutering their cat if it was ever indoors.
Considering I am allergic to cats, none.
My friend had two intact male cats in her apartment for THREE YEARS!! She'd have sent nudes to people if they neutered them for her. When I found out, I was like "girl, why didn't you tell me? I could have totally helped with finding affordable neutering for you."
