Spay Awareness Month on February, 2025: kitten hit by car; wanting to raise awareness?

February, 2025 is Spay Awareness Month 2025.

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Back in the early 80's my sister and I were both given kittens. Mine was named Smokey and hers was named Pepper, both were indoor/outdoor cats which was common back in the day. I picked mine out on my 12th birthday from an animal shelter. Smokey was 6 months old and neutered and my sister's was a private adoption and was never spayed.

Pepper eventually became pregnant when she was about a year old. She had a large litter and all survived. When the kittens were about 3 weeks old, Pepper was tragically run over by a car. Fortunately, our dog had a false pregnancy and was able to nurse the kittens which were given away for free.

Smokey was much more streetwise, he lived 18 long very healthy years. He too was let out once at night which is when he was normally indoors as he has always had a curfew. Well, tragically he too became road-kill. He could've lived for many more years since he was still a very healthy cat. I didn't have any control over his senior lifestyle since I lived in a different province at the time.

Hopefully, with more awareness people will realize that indoor cats are truly the lucky ones. I am now the proud owner of 2 indoor cats, Tinkerbell and Baby Diablo. TinkerBell is neutered and Diablo will be next month. The only time they're allowed outside is when they're on a leash/harness supervised. They also enjoy their car rides when I need to run errands.

Providing knowledgeable information to cat owners is the best way to help educate them on why it's best to keep cats indoors. The Internet is an excellent tool to utilize. Also, places such as Craigslist pet section would be another place to inform people wishing to adopt a cat. Another place you could bring awareness is at Vet Clinics and through Cat-Rescue groups. When it comes to disabled cats, they are true living miracles that always manage to amaze the skeptics! : )

Here is just a sample of how amazing disabled cats can be...

Puppy is peeing all over the place day after spay?

I would check with your vet. If she is on pain pills this could be causing issues with her awareness of herself too. and Spaying definitely can cause incontinence problems on the rare occasion. I would keep her crated and go back to house training. Be sure you treat every spot with the enzymatic cleaner to remove all traces of urine odor so she won't be triggered to go there again as easily. This is discouraging I know. :-(

Shakiness and awareness of heartbeat, headaches, pressure in head?

So sorry to hear this! It sounds very uncomfortable! Okay - my 2 cents.

These are not symptoms of brain tumor. Not to say I'm diagnosing you as not having one, just telling you these aren't that sort of symptom.

Have you been checked for diabetes?

Do you measure your heart rate when it "pounds?" If you are sitting and doing nothing in particular and your pulse is elevated, that is not normal. That doesn't mean it's BAD, just not normal. But "not normal" can mean many things. All of these symptoms could be due to anxiety. After ruling out physical problems, that is what I would wonder about.

I know you're nervous about exercise, but you sound deconditioned. You need exercise. You can exercise with a friend - or get an exercise buddy. Start by walking together. Also, please talk with your doctor about diet. You're underweight.

Dying is something that will happen to all of us. I'm going to die - chances are, I'll die a lot sooner than you! I'm a lot older. I've seen a lot of people die; I'm a doctor. And seeing death - being around it - completely eliminated my fear of death. I've seen too many people who died and were resuscitated. They had amazing stories of experiences that absolutely cannot be explained by the brain shutting down. Many had seen things in rooms other than where they were - one young woman died on the operating table. When her heart was started again and she survived (thank goodness!), she told of a conversation her parents had with a family friend and a doctor in the cafeteria. She said she left her body, saw her family, and then moved on to a place she called "heaven." She saw relatives who had died prior and some people whom she did not know, but they knew who she was.

She was loved, accepted, and completely embraced... as she WAS. She was not expected to be perfect or be in any particular religion - she was only expected to love. To be kind and helpful. And that's why I'm here - I have other things to do. But I like to come here and help a little. It's a way of loving mankind.

The doctor in the cafeteria was me - she had not met me prior to that yet she described me perfectly and she knew my name. I saw her in the recovery room and she addressed me by name. There was NO WAY she could have known whom I was. She described the conversation - it was stunning. She was spot-on. She told us she saw family members and was in the presence of God and was completely and utterly loved and understood... just as she was. With her flaws and imperfections.

I hope this is helpful and I hope it makes some sense. It sounds to my ear like anxiety - the Xanax can help but only so much. Embracing your life - approaching life - finding the things that give you joy... those are the things that, if this is anxiety, will help you the most. You can join a club or find an opportunity to volunteer. I've written prescriptions for this! I have - volunteer at the library or a hospital or - gosh - anywhere that will make you feel good about what you are doing. It takes the focus off self and how you are feeling. You could volunteer at a no-kill animal shelter. The city shelters are good for volunteering but it might make you depressed because reality is people aren't always too good about spaying and neutering their pets and many unwanted pets must be killed... there aren't enough homes.

Because your father has a cardiac history, you are wise to have awareness. Don't smoke, eat a healthy diet (check the Internet - there are lots of websites that talk about a heart-healthy diet), eat your fruits and vegetables, exercise, and embrace your beautiful life. You are at the age when anxiety is typically the worst, so take hope in that. And know that your life is full of choices... choices for you to make. Embrace it! Watch The Science Channel - watch some of those shows about stars, the universe - that stuff. really puts it all in perspective. There are two new shows that are terrific - Morgan Freeman's Through the Wormhole and Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking. They are amazing and will take you out of your worries. The universe is a big, beautiful, grand place! And YOU are in it!

Go to youtube and look up the videos by lekatt1. Listen to everything he has to say and please ignore the other videos that have scare stories about hell. They are rubbish. I'll put Lekatt1's link in here.

Good luck, dear. You are at a scary, wonderful, exciting time... the beginning of adult life. I think you're going to make something wonderful of it!