The Facts about Neutering Cats

With the number of homeless and unwanted cats on the rise, spaying or neutering cats is the responsible course of action, unless you're planning to breed them.

If your cat has kittens, you're responsible for all of the kittens born. As cute as these kittens are, finding good homes for all of them may be a challenge. Too many cats are taken to shelters or abandoned because owners neglected to plan ahead.

Professional breeders typically do not neuter their show quality felines, due to the ineligibility of altered felines to participate in competitions. Recently, however, the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) has changed its show rules to allow altered cats to compete. Many breeders have started neutering kittens that are destined to be pets instead of show animals. This helps breeders be certain that their cats will not contribute to the unwanted population of animals that end up in shelters.

Animal shelters require that a pet be neutered before adoption. Some request a neutering deposit, refundable upon confirmation of the operation.

Neutering your cat has many benefits for both you and your feline. These cats usually have a gentle disposition and make excellent companions for the elderly and children.

Behavioral Changes

Neutering your cat makes for a better pet, removing the hormonal factors and associated behavior of a sexually active pet. Owners who have experienced a queen in heat, a frustrated tomcat, or unwanted litters of kittens will not argue against the wisdom of neutering pets. Once neutered, pets are usually very affectionate and more predictable.

Females: A common myth is that female cats need the experience of motherhood and should have at least one litter. This is absolutely false.

Spayed female cats are typically:

• more affectionate

• calmer

• more social

• more predictable

• healthier.

The greatest behavioral benefit of spaying is that your female cat will not come into heat and engage in the twice-yearly ritual of seeking a mate.

Spaying also provides some medical benefits to your cat. Spayed cats do not run the risk of uterine infections and ovarian tumors and the many potential complications associated with pregnancy and giving birth. Additionally, spayed females have a lower incidence of mammary tumors.

Males: Compared with their unaltered counterparts, castrated male cats are typically:

• less prone to wandering

• more affectionate

• less aggressive

• less territorial

• more social with other felines

• healthier.

Tomcats are notorious fighters and wanderers. In addition to contributing to the overpopulation of cats, tomcats are at a very high risk for infectious disease and injury due to their behavior. Neutering your male cat considerably reduces these risks.

Neutering males also decreases their desire to spray and mark everything within their territory. Keeping a non-castrated male cat in the house is almost impossible.

Facts About Neutering
The term neutering refers to the removal of the reproductive organs of the male or female animal, while spaying is specific to female cats and castration to male cats.

Castration: Neutering a male cat is a minor procedure. During this operation, the testicles are removed through a small incision in the scrotum. The spermatic cords and their associated blood vessels are tied off to prevent hemorrhage. External stitches are not used.

Spaying: The medical term for spaying is an "ovario-hysterectomy." It is a more involved operation than that performed on the male cat. This procedure involves abdominal surgery.

Your veterinarian may utilize external skin sutures that are typically removed in about ten days. The clinic will provide post-surgery instructions that you should follow carefully.

Both procedures render the animal sterile ¡ª unable to produce kittens ¡ª and less prone to sexually motivated behaviors. While both operations are "routine," they do involve a general anesthetic.

When to Neuter
No exact time is correct for spaying or neutering your cat. Experts agree that the operation can be safely performed on cats as young as six weeks of age. Most veterinarians advise their clients to plan surgery at six months, although the operation can be done successfully on older cats that you might adopt. Talk with your veterinarian about the best age and time to perform the operation for your individual cat.