Benefits of Neutering Your Cat

There are many reasons to neuter your cat. If you are not planning to breed from your cat for show purposes, then neutering is an absolute must, particularly if your cat is allowed outside of the home, onto the streets.

This is a debate that has been raging for centuries, and it is an emotive one. But it is an issue that needs to be decided very early on in the process of adopting a new cat or kitten. A female cat can become pregnant at the very young age of six months, when barely out of kittenhood, so it is essential to have this side of things organised and decided well in advance.

Just to ensure we are all completely up to speed on terminology here, the neutering of a cat is basically removing the reproductive organs. In a male the term is called 'castration', and the testicles are removed. In a female the term is 'spaying' and the ovaries are removed.

Needless to say, the procedure is more costly from a vet’s point of view in a female, since the procedure requires opening the belly to reach internal organs, whereas the male cat’s are external, thus making things much easier (and therefore less costly).

Owning a cat or kitten is not like owning a car or a motorbike. Cats are living, breathing, sentient beings that absolutely depend upon us for our kindness and love throughout their lives. In return they give us their all - adoration, loyalty, love, joy, companionship, fun, affection and all the many other wonderful ways in which owning a beloved pet enriches our lives. Neutering only protects them, and since they are your companions, why wouldn't you want to do what is best for them?

Un-neutered animals (often called intact) tend to wander off and stay out of the home more, particularly at night (if allowed), thus increasing their chances of meeting with road-related accidents that claim millions of cats’ lives every year. The males are known to be much more aggressive when intact, getting into countless and vicious fights with other intact males (usually over territorial rights or a female that is ready to mate), which can easily result in massive vet bills to repair the injuries.

Males also spray urine at objects (like walls or furniture) to mark their territory. They tend to back up to a wall or your new sofa, with their tail completely perpendicular, like a car aerial, and release a straight stream of highly smelly urine directly at the object. This behaviour stops completely upon neutering.

Females can give birth to a many large litters of kittens throughout their lives, up to three large litters of many kittens every year of their life. Unless you are seriously considering breeding from your pedigree cat, then the best way you can show how much you adore your new family member is to do them the kindness of having them neutered. If anything, female cats become even more friendly and kind once they have been spayed.

If you are unsure about this advice, then the best person to discuss it with it your trusted family vet. The number of stray and sick cats is on the increase globally, and such terrible diseases as feline leukaemia and feline AIDS are spreading everywhere.