A common controversy among cat owners is the necessity of spaying or neutering a domesticated cat. Having your cat fixed is a very important procedure in current society, as it is essential to help control the pet population. Because spaying or neutering a cat is such an important part of pet care, it is sometimes featured as a reminder on some television programs. The most popular of these, “The Price is Right”, has continued to remind pet owners of this over the entire course of the program’s history.
For most pet owners, spaying a female cat presents more of an issue than neutering a male cat. Owning a female cat that isn’t spayed induces the possibility that the cat may become pregnant. This is especially true of female cats that live outdoors, since they have a greater likelihood that they will encounter a fertile male cat. Caring for a pregnant cat involves a considerable amount of work, and is also relatively expensive (especially if a pregnant cat requires any medical procedures). Once a pregnant cat gives birth, it is then necessary to provide care for the newborn kittens, and attempt to find proper homes for them. The absolute best way to prevent your cat from becoming pregnant is to bring them to the veterinarian to be spayed. The spaying process removes all of a female cat’s reproductive organs, which makes it relatively impossible for a pregnancy to occur. The surgery is relatively simple, and requires the use of an anesthetic. The scars from the surgery are small, and will heal after a short period of time.
Having a male cat neutered is also extremely beneficial, especially regarding your relationship with your cat. Male cats usually enter a period in which they will be trying to find a mate, which can result in a lot of late-night meowing. In addition to this, a male cat usually feels the need to advertise his fertility, which is accomplished by spraying hormone-saturated urine around their “territory”. Needless to say, this can be very detrimental to your relationship with your cat, as you are constantly cleaning up after their urination. During the neutering process, a male cat has their testicles completely removed while under anesthetic. After this procedure, a veterinarian will prescribe specific medications that will help a cat to deal with post-surgery discomfort.
There is some debate on the question of which you should spay a female cat after they have had a litter of kittens, or experienced their first heat cycle. The reason for this is that once a cat has experienced the hormonal response while in heat, the behavior associated with it may not cease even after they have been spayed. Some female cats may roam your house or yard while meowing when they are in heat. After the spaying process, however, most cats do not experience the metabolism issues or weight gain that is commonly associated with hysterectomies in human females. This is also true of male cats who have the neutering procedure.
Sun, Nov 1, 2009