Pets

/

Home & Leisure

My Pet World: Contraceptives for pets? The day may be coming

Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on

Dear Cathy,

I am a huge advocate for feral cats, and wonder why Megestrol or feline birth control is not used to prevent female feral cats from going into heat. The offspring of feral cats suffer horrible deaths. They are blinded by infections, suffocated from pneumonia, eviscerated by predators, drained of blood by fleas, and eaten by maggots. Those of us who do rescue work see this almost daily.

Megestrol is a miracle drug. I crush a pill in a plastic bag, pinch a tiny bit per cat, and add it to their food once a week. The cost is $.10 a pill, which is incredibly affordable. Why is this not accessible to rescue folks? I know very few people willing to do TNR (trap-neuter-return), and we've lost most of our spay clinics in the wake of the pandemic. Here in the northeast, the average cost for a simple spay is $850 to $1000 at the local vet hospital. Megestrol is effective. I would love to hear your thoughts about feline birth control.

— Francine, Killingworth, Connecticut

Dear Francine,

Researchers have been looking for a non-sterilant solution to halting pregnancies in cats, especially feral cats, for many years. Megestrol is considered a "stop-gap" drug that has been proven to halt or prevent cats from entering estrus (heat). But it is not considered permanent birth control. The drug can only be prescribed by a veterinarian and given to cats for up to 30 weeks. It does have some side effects.

 

Megestrol gained traction during the pandemic when community cat caretakers administered the drug to their colonies to prevent pregnancies while waiting for scarce spay-neuter surgery appointments. Because long waits for spay-neuter surgery appointments continue, cat owners also could request this drug from their veterinarian if there is a risk of their cats getting pregnant before their surgery dates.

While it would be an easy drug to administer to owned cats, it is more challenging to use it with community cat colonies where male cats and wild animals are also at risk of eating the medicated food. Male cats would still be able to impregnate female cats but are susceptible to the drug's side effects. The drug can also have a similar estrus-halting impact on other female mammals. So, a colony caretaker would have to monitor who is eating from what bowl, note the intake, and remove the dishes immediately after feeding. The drug also can impact humans, so caretakers would need to prevent its absorption through their skin.

The Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs is an organization whose mission is to advance nonsurgical sterilants and contraceptives for cats and dogs and to promote their global accessibility. Check their website for more information on Megestrol and other research into animal contraceptives. Nonsurgical sterilants would be a game changer in controlling pet overpopulation. This drug is a step in that direction.

Dear Cathy,

...continued

swipe to next page

(c) 2023 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

 

Comics

Jack Ohman Barney Google And Snuffy Smith Marshall Ramsey Mike Peters Garfield Wallace The Brave