- Neutering
Neutering your Cat or kitten
This is a subject, neutering, which many of us donât want to think about but when I got Tigger and took him for his first vaccination it was one of the questions I asked. I actually asked about having him neutered when he was only 5 weeks old. I was told to bring him back at about 3 months old and the vets would neuter him but he was too young for neutering at 5 weeks.
Why, you may ask, did I want to have him neutered. Its not natural. Youâre right it isnât natural but I think neutering is necessary. Just think how many unwanted cats there are across the US today. Iâd easily put the figure into the tens of millions and what happens to these cats. Well many of them are euthanized. If youâre not sure what that means they are destroyed, killed, and a lot of it is because people donât have their cat neutered. Why are they then killed, well the simple reason is there isnât enough people wanting to adopt kittens and give them a loving home. If every cat owner suddenly adopted 20 cats maybe, just maybe, we could sort the problem out by having them all neutered but it wonât happen.
So what happens to un-neutered cats which are not destroyed. Iâm sorry to keep using the word destroyed and you may prefer euthanized, but whatever word we use the cat is killed. Donât try to sanitize what happens by using a clean word. Because cat owners are unwilling to have their cats neutered, millions of cats are killed. So just think the next time the subject of neutering comes up what the alternative is.
What happens to the cats which are just left to fend for themselves because no one wants them and they are not killed. These cats become wild and feral. All they are doing is surviving, eating, sleeping and mating, making more wild kittens. These cats, and your domestic cat, can have up to 3 litters a year of between 4 - 7 kittens on average. Thatâs 12 - 21 new cats a year if they all survive which is doubtful. Just think of the effect these cats have on your local wildlife population, they have to eat remember and as no one is buying food for them they have to catch it. They may also have a much higher rate of disease than âownedâ cats and this disease can easily be passed onto your cat.
Domestic female cats will be on heat several times a year and male cats will call round at such times. Your female cat will also howl a lot when in heat and will want to spray its urine around. This is done to attract male cats but if you are keeping your cat in then she will spray on your furniture, all because you did not have her neutered.
Male cats who have not been neutered will go in search of females in heat as the mating instinct is high. They may go off for days at a time looking for females and some of them will forget their way home and just add to the wild cat population. Do you want this to happen to your cat because you didnât have him neutered.
Neutered cats are more friendly and loving than un-neutered cats and you will have a better relationship with them.
OK, so what about the cost. Well its much more expensive to have a female cat neutered than a male, but neutering can help cut down on health problems in later life so it may well save you money by having your cat neutered early. If you find the cost is too much have a good look round your neighborhood and ask others. There are many places where you can get your cat neutered at a reduced rate or even for free as some people accept that it is something we need to do for the general well being of the cat and kitten society. If you have pet insurance then check this out but it is very unlikely that this will be covered. Your cat insurance is more likely to be for emergencies or illness and not something which is effectivly optional, (but highly important to think about). Donât think about it too much, do it and do your cat a favor.
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