Debunking Myths About Spay & Neuter

by Mary Fariss

Many cat owners rely on myths about spay & neuter as excuses for their failure to spay or neuter their own pet cats. The Humane Society 0f the United States http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/myths_and_facts_about_spaying_and_neutering.htmlweb pages do a good job of debunking those old myths.

MYTH: My pet will get fat and lazy.
MYTH: It's better to have one litter first.
MYTH: My children should experience the miracle of birth.
MYTH: But my pet is a purebred.
MYTH: I don't want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male.

Other misconceptions are:
· That for some reason, it was better to let a female cat give birth to one litter of kittens before spaying.

· That a female cat should not be neutered until after her first oestrus period.

· That growth metabolism might be stunted as a result.

· That the eventual urethral diameter might be constricted, particularly in male cats, causing eventual urinary problems.

· That female cats in particular, might later develop incontinence as a result.

· That certain behavioral problems might result.

Most people should know by now that failure to spay/neuter is the number one cause of the pet population explosion. One unspayed female cat and her offspring, can be responsible for the birth of 73,000 kittens in six years. Indeed, female cats barely kittens themselves commonly give birth, and male cats as young as four months have been known to impregnate willing queens. Cat caregivers who wait the traditional six to eight months for the surgery are playing a game of Russian Roulette, and only serving to exacerbate the problem.

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