It’s easy to fall in love with kittens. They’re soft, playful, endlessly curious. There’s something so pure and heart-opening about having tiny animals in your home. I understand why so many people are drawn to them.
But as someone who has studied animal science and spent years fostering cats, I’ve also come to see the side of the story that many people would rather not look at — the part that involves too many cats and not enough homes, especially here in Lithuania.
And the deeper I’ve walked my spiritual path, the more I’ve come to feel that truly conscious, loving pet ownership must include responsibility — not just affection.
A Hard Truth About Overbreeding
Some people — often with good intentions — choose to breed cats because they enjoy the presence of kittens in their homes. But what many don’t realize is that every kitten brought into the world intentionally means one less space for a cat that already exists and needs a home.
Every spring, I see animal shelters and rescue groups completely overwhelmed with litters of unwanted kittens. And it’s not just that the babies are born — it’s that the adult cats, especially shy or older ones, are often overlooked and left behind.
Even if you find loving homes for the kittens you breed, those are homes that could have taken in a cat already waiting in a shelter — or living outside, hungry, cold, and unprotected. And in this way, even well-meaning actions can quietly add to a very real crisis.
The Spiritual Side of Neutering
In spiritual circles, the topic of neutering can be controversial. Some people say it’s unnatural or goes against the soul’s design. And in theory, I understand that concern. But we also need to recognize that almost everything about keeping animals in apartments, feeding them dry food, or containing their instincts is already unnatural. These animals are not living wild lives in forests. They’re living in cities, next to other cats they didn’t choose, often indoors with limited space and stimulation.
There’s also an important misconception we carry when we project human emotions onto animals. A telepathic animal communicator I once listened to said something that really stayed with me: when people say that neutering is wrong because “animals want to be mothers,” they’re not really seeing animals for what they are. They are humanizing them — but only halfway.
Unlike humans, most animals don’t have emotional suffering over the inability to reproduce. Without the hormonal impulse present, they don’t miss parenthood. Cats don’t sit around wishing they had babies — they live in the moment. Yes, when the hormones are active, they’ll seek out mating, and many cats are tender and loving with their kittens. But especially in situations of repeated breeding, it becomes exhausting, physically draining, and stressful for the mother. I’ve personally seen cats become visibly happier and more relaxed after being neutered — like they could finally just be.
The communicator also shared that when she spoke with animals about neutering — explaining why it was being done, and the suffering that overpopulation causes — the animals understood. They cared. They wanted others to be safe, and to have homes. They understood the bigger picture — often more easily than humans do.
So if we truly care about animal well-being, we must also ask: Are we seeing them clearly? Or are we projecting our own emotional needs onto them while ignoring the lives they actually live?
Sometimes love looks like soft purring and gentle strokes… and sometimes it looks like making hard, compassionate choices — ones that help ensure not just one life is safe, but that fewer lives suffer in the long run.
A Joyful Alternative: Fostering — or Adopting With Awareness
Here’s the beautiful thing: if you love kittens, you can still have them in your life — without contributing to the problem.
Every year, shelters and rescue groups desperately need foster homes, especially during kitten season. I’ve fostered many litters over the years, and each time has been incredibly rewarding. You get to experience the joy of watching them grow, learn, and play… but also the deep fulfillment of knowing that you’re helping save lives.
And if you’re looking to bring an animal into your home permanently, I encourage you to take the time to do it consciously. There are so many animals in need — not just in shelters, but also from people like me who foster them privately, offering temporary homes until they find their forever families.
And if you truly feel called to have a specific breed — for example, for allergy reasons or temperament — then at the very least, choose a reputable, ethical breeder who prioritizes the animals’ health, socialization, and long-term well-being. Avoid buying from casual or profit-driven breeders who don't do proper testing, don’t provide documentation, and who often exploit the mother cats by breeding them too frequently and in poor conditions. Kittens born in these environments often have weaker health, emotional issues, or inherited diseases that show up later in life.
So whether you choose to adopt from a shelter, foster network, or an ethical breeder, the heart of it is the same: act with care, not just desire. Let your decision be one that respects the soul and dignity of the animal — not just what’s convenient or cute in the moment.
Giving Back as a Spiritual Practice (and a Gift to Yourself)
There’s one more layer to all of this that I feel is important to share — and it goes beyond just cats.
If you’re someone who has built a good life — maybe a successful business, a stable career, or even just a bit of extra time and energy — I believe that giving back should be a natural extension of conscious living.
That doesn’t always mean donating large amounts of money, though financial support can be powerful. It might mean offering your time to something meaningful: volunteering at a shelter, fostering animals, helping vulnerable families, or even fostering children if that’s where your heart leads you.
And here’s the beautiful part: you don’t just give — you receive.
There’s something profoundly fulfilling about knowing you’ve made a difference, even in a small way. It brings a sense of purpose, a sense of community, and a deeper connection to life itself. It can uplift your mood, calm anxiety, ease loneliness, and even — as some studies have shown — improve overall health and emotional resilience. When we act from compassion, we are nourished by it.
Fostering animals has been one of the most heart-opening forms of service I’ve ever experienced. It taught me about care, impermanence, and unconditional love. And I believe that when we open ourselves to serve — even just a little — we step more fully into the kind of spiritual maturity that many of us seek.
Because true spirituality isn’t about escaping the world. It’s about being present in it — and showing up with love.
🌱 In Closing
To truly love animals is to love not just their sweetness and beauty, but also their vulnerability, their future, and their place in the world.
We can’t save everyone — but we can choose to live in a way that lessens harm and multiplies care. Whether you foster kittens, adopt an adult cat, donate to a rescue, or simply commit to more conscious decisions about the lives in your care — it matters. It all matters.
Compassion is a path. And every time you choose it, you help light the way for others too.