Three Significant Reasons to Neuter Cats
- Twitter @StreetCatBob
Jakarta – Neutering cats, also known as castration in males or spaying in females. This is a significant step in responsible pet ownership.
Spaying or Neutring are the surgical removal of a female cat’s ovaries and uterus, while neutering is the removal of a male cat’s testicles. While both operations are conducted routinely with few complications, only licensed veterinarians are allowed to perform them.
Prior to surgery, your veterinarian may carry out a complete physical examination of your cat or draw a sample of his blood for analysis. To minimize pain and discomfort, both spaying and neutering are conducted while your cat is under general anesthesia.
Following surgery, your veterinarian will instruct you on how to care for your cat while he is recovering. Most cats are back to normal within a few days. The surgery site usually heals within two weeks and any skin stitches are removed at a follow-up appointment with your vet.
Spaying or neutering your cat, as well as outdoor community and feral cats, prevents unwanted births, which helps reduce overpopulation in shelters. Millions of unwanted animals end up in shelters or on the streets each year.
Only a lucky few are adopted; the rest are either euthanized or die from trauma, exposure, starvation or disease. By spaying or neutering your cat, you do your part to prevent this tragedy.
Another benefit is that spaying or neutering reduces or eliminates sexual behaviors in cats that people generally consider a nuisance.
In most male cats, regardless of their age when neutered, neutering reduces roaming, urine spraying, and fights with neighborhood cats.
The plaintive howling of female cats in heat is eliminated. Overall, cats who are sexually intact are at greater risk of being relinquished to a shelter.
Why neuter your pets is important:
1. Overpopulation Control
One of the primary reasons for cat sterilization is to control the population of stray and feral cats. Cats are prolific breeders, and an uncontrolled population can lead to overcrowding in shelters and an increase in the number of homeless and suffering cats.
Sterilization helps prevent unwanted litters and reduces the burden on animal shelters and rescue organizations.
2. Health Benefits
Neutering offers various health benefits to cats. For female cats, spaying reduces the risk of uterine infections and mammary tumors, which are often malignant.
Neutering male cats reduces the likelihood of testicular cancer and can also reduce the risk of certain behavioral issues, such as aggression and roaming in search of mates.
Additionally, sterilization can reduce the chances of cats contracting certain infectious diseases, as mating and fighting can expose them to various health risks.
3. Reduces Risk of Roaming
When female cats go into heat, both her hormones and instincts are urging her to find a mate. And if she's your only cat, she'll try to escape every time you open the door so that she can find one.
Remember that males are also driven by hormones and the mating instinct, and will try their best to escape for the same reason. Both males and females are at risk outdoors of being injured as they cross roads and highways to mate.
By neutering your cat, you'll reduce this wanderlust and find they're happy to stay put in the safe, comfy spot next to you on the couch.