Neutering Your Cat
There are enormous numbers of surplus pet cats, and tragically, each year between four and five million pets (including purebreds) must be euthanized at animal shelters. Countless others live and die on the streets, not fortunate enough to be rescued and brought to shelters. When you spay or neuter your cat, you are preventing the future births of hundreds of thousands of homeless pets.
Even if you find homes for your cat’s kittens from just one litter, those kittens’ kittens may produce generations of homeless cats.
You are also doing the best thing for your cat’s health.
When a female cat is spayed (her uterus and ovaries removed), she is prevented from suffering the agonizing frustration of being in “heat,” a state that typically lasts about a week or longer and cycles repetitively through the year. (It is no picnic living with a loud and unhappy cat in heat, so you are doing yourself a favor as well.) Spaying a female cat will prevent uterine or ovarian cancer and mammary tumors, especially if the spay is done before her first heat. A female cat can have this surgery done as early as eight
weeks of age with no additional complications.
When a male cat is neutered (his testicles removed), he becomes less driven to roam or act aggressively toward other animals. This
simple, routine surgical procedure, which can be performed when he is eight weeks of age or older, will reduce the production of certain hormones. Your cat will not be as likely to spray in the house, and his urine will not have a strong marking scent.
Spayed and neutered cats do not automatically get fat and lazy, contrary to myth.
Overweight cats are overweight because they are overfed. Exercise your cat and don’t overfeed him.