The Facts and the Myths About Spaying and Neutering Your Cats

There are many medical and behavioral benefits to having your male cats neutered and your female cats spayed.

Facts

1. It makes your life easier:

• Usually stopping tomcats from “spraying” foul smelling urine.
• Reducing a tom cat’s desire to wander far from home. 

2. It is healthier for your pet.

• Eliminating the problems and risks of pregnancy and birth.
• Reducing the risk of developing prostrate problems, testicular tumors, and mammary tumors later in life. .

3. It reduces the problems caused by overpopulation.

• Ridding you of the worry involved with caring for and finding homes for unplanned litters.
• Reducing the number of unaltered males running loose and, therefore, the number of unwanted feline pregnancies.

4. It eliminates sexual frustration.

• Eliminating the frantic pacing and crying of your cat while in heat.
• Reducing anxiety and frustration which can cause male cats to break down doors and jump fences in their desire to mate.

Myths

1. Neutering will hurt my pet:

NOT TRUE Neutering and spaying are safe and relatively painless operations done by licensed veterinarians. Your pet will appreciate the freedom from sexual frustration.

2. Neutering will make my pet fat:

NOT TRUE Neutering does not make your pet fat or lazy. Too much food and not enough exercise are the main causes of obesity.

3. Spaying is done after having a litter of kittens:

NOT TRUE It is actually better for your female cat to not have a litter of kittens or a heat period before being spayed. Males should be neutered before they develop annoying spraying habits.

4. I will find homes for all of my cat’s kittens:

NOT TRUE You may be able to place the kittens in a home, but are they all “forever homes”? Remember, each time you place a kitten from your litter, somewhere else a cat in a shelter is being euthanized because it has no home. Animal overpopulation is a serious problem— there are already too many animals and not enough homes.