Neuter Your Cat and Stop Tom Cat Odours and Unwanted Kittens.

To neuter your cat or not that is the question? In fact it is a very easy one to answer. If you don't want the responsibility of rehoming and looking after a litter of kittens and you don't want your male cat spraying everywhere and generally making a nuisance of himself in the neighbourhood, then the answer is YES. Having your pet castrated can be an important part of your cat care responsibilities. There are of course many other reasons to have this operation and the importance of providing this care for your cat can never be underestimated.

Benefits of Neutering your Cat.

Stop the senseless destruction of thousands of cats every year just because there are not enough homes for them all.

Your female cat won't develop womb infections or come into season which means no bleeding or late night yowling.(More information about the female heat cycle).

You won't have to suffer your male cat becoming aggressive and trying to mount your arm (if you haven't experienced that then count yourself lucky). Also you will prevent that nasty Tom Cat smell in your home and your friends and neighbours will want to come and visit again.

You will have a much happier cat, contented to stay at home and not get into fights with other cats in the neighbourhood.
You will be helping to reduce the number of unwanted cats being born and there associated problems of cat over population.

There are many health benefits also associated with having your cats spayed/neutered. Read on to discover more of these reasons to go ahead and look after your cat in this way.

At what age should you have your cat Neutered?

The operation should be carried out before your cat reaches sexual maturity, so between 3 and 6 mths old would be a good time. But your vet will advise the best time for your cat, as some cats develop sexually at different times. By carrying out the operation during these early months you should avoid any unwanted surprises.

What do the operations involve?

Both operations require a general anesthetic although the male cat will be able to come home within a few hours of the operation, whereas the female may have to stay in over night as her operation is more involved and needs more supervision.

The female spay operation involves removing the ovaries and uterus and stitches will be required which may have to be removed a week later depending on the type of stitches used. The male castration operation is a simple procedure involving the removal of the testicles.

When you bring your cat home after the operation, let them sleep in a quiet place until they feel more like themselves. Don't give them too much food at first and make sure they don't nibble at their stitches. If they do, you may have to make your cat wear a cone shaped collar for a few days. Also keep an eye open for any signs of infection, but generally your cat should be back to their old selves within a few days. ( More information about the operations)

Myths

There are many myths surrounding cat neutering and spaying all of which is designed to frighten you into doing nothing and ignoring the whole issue of neutering and spaying. However they are myths and the more information you know about these myths the better. Below are just a few of the main ones that go around

Is it better to allow your female cat to have one litter? - No. Research has shown there is no health or psychological benefits to your cat.

Do Pets become fat and lazy after neutering? - No, but because they are not as active as before you may have to adjust their diet a little.

Castrating Male cats can cause urethra obstruction's? - Studies show no evidence of this, in fact it lessens the likelihood of prostate and testicular cancers.

Isn't the operation very expensive? No, generally they are kept low to enable owners to easily afford the operation as it is in everyone's benefit to spay your cat. However if you do have financial difficulty some of the major cat charities may be able to help.