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Spay and Neuter for CatsSpay and neuter is one of the most important we can do for our cats with regard to their health and well-being.
Male Cat NeuterNeutering a male cat is a very simple procedure, often done on an out-patient basis, meaning your cat can be home with you by the evening.And aside from curbing the population of unwanted kittens, neutering will prevent certain behaviors and medical conditions: Neutered cats are highly unlikely to "spray" urine to mark their territory. If you've ever had a cat spray your curtains, furniture, etc., you know this is a deplorable behavior that you want to avoid; Neutered cats will be less likely to fight or suffer abscesses from fighting; Your neutered cat will be less likely to try to escape. Oliver, my neutered tabby, actually prefers the indoors to outdoors-he's a creature of comfort; Neutered cats will be less likely to contract FeLV and FIV, among other highly contagious cat diseases; Neutered cats are less likely to develop testicular cancer (they don't have any) or mammary cancer (yes, male cats have mammary glands); Neutered cats are less likely to develop "stud tail" (tail gland hyperplasia), a condition caused by overactive tail glands that results in greasy or waxy secretions that while not harmful to the cat are messy and irritating to both the cat and cat-parent. Female Cat SpaySpaying a female cat is a bit more complicated than the neuter procedure, but safe and healthy for your female cat nonetheless. Essentially spaying is a hysterectomy for your female feline. As such, the surgery is more invasive than neutering. This being said, the spay surgery is still an outpatient procedure and if your cat has no complications, most vets will send her home with you the same evening. The benefits of spaying your female cat are numerous, with of course the first being no unwanted kittens. But as a bonus, this surgery will prevent some really unwanted behaviors and medical conditions: If you've ever experienced a cat in heat, with the yowling, the spraying, the "psycho" behavior, I'm betting you don't want to experience it again. Spaying eliminates the heat cycle; Altering your cat reduces the risk of mammary cancer, especially if the spaying occurs before the first heat. With each successive heat the cat experiences, the greater the risk for mammary cancer; Spaying also reduces the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer. No ovaries, no uterus, no cancer; Altering your female cat reduces the risk of pyometra, a virulent, sometimes fatal, infection that attacks the uterus. No uterus, no pyometra. Myths about Altering Your CatNow, while I've given you good reasons to neuter your cat, myths that you heard have kept you from picking up that phone and making the vet appointment. Some of these myths are due to misinformation, old information or out-right ridiculous rumor or speculation. The first myth is that a cat will get fat and lazy if he's neutered. A cat will get fat and lazy because we let him get fat and lazy with too much of (the wrong) food and too little activity! The second myth: My cat is a purebred "whatever"; neutering/spaying my cat will make him less valuable. Yes, altering will pretty much trash your cat's "value" as a breeder. But if you're not intending on breeding, why not alter? You can still show your cat in the pet class and how appropriate-if you have a cat and are not planning to breed, that's exactly what he is (of course to some of us these "pets" are so much more)! Trust me, your cat will be a much more pleasant, if not down-right attentive pet if he is altered. Really. The third myth (usually popular with men!): My male cat will feel like less of a "male" after neutering. Cats (and dogs, too) don't have a concept of sexual identity or ego as humans do. Nature gives them sexual instincts, but we usually superimpose a human sexual identity on them. While this myth is more prevalent in some cultures, I assure everyone, your big, strapping male cat will not have an identity crisis or major personality change after neutering. Why am I such a know-it-all? We've had 18 cats in my family through the years, 15 of them males, and not one of them has gotten confused about who he was/is. They just became better pets! The last myth is "It's too expensive to have my pet altered." Well, this can be true; some vets are expensive and the costs associated with doing this procedure may be cost prohibitive for some. But, as a volunteer for an organization that provides low cost/no cost spay-neuter in our community, I tell you there are options out there. Many communities have these clinics and the procedure is priced well below what the average vet charges. Is the surgery of lesser quality or performed by someone not qualified or licensed? No! Vets volunteer their services at these clinics for a couple of reasons: they love animals and want to prevent overpopulation and many of the pets they encounter at these clinics (about 50%) become their patients for vaccinations, exams, etc. Go to Spay Neuter Aftercare for Cats
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Overpopulation of cats has led to some very sad facts of life such as communities that have taken to shooting feral and stray cats and shelters who euthanize over 3 million unwanted cats a year(Humane Society of the United States) , simply because of lack of adoptive homes to care for them all. Animal rescue workers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of unwanted kittens and cats and many are making small strides to take the task of spay and neuter on themselves through low-cost spay/neuter clinics. If every pet owner were to be responsible for this small task, the tragedy of overpopulation would become a thing of the past.
