Cat Health - Neutering - Cat Health

NEUTERING

Each year thousand of cats and kittens are destroyed because no-one wants them.  Rescue shelters are always full to the brim and many cats are turned away, leaving them to go feral and lead a very difficult life indeed.

A female cat can have 2 litters a year, her female kittens can start breeding at 6 months old and produce 2 litters a year each.  You can see how it compounds.  So the responsible thing to do is neuter your cat.

So, if you are not planning on breeding from your cat then you should have it neutered.  Cats can be neutered at around 5-6 months depending on their body weight.  This is also the time that they reach sexual maturity.  A kitten should be kept in the house until it’s neutered or you may find yourself with a litter of unwanted kittens and a male kitten can wander off.

I’ve heard some people say that a female cat should have a litter before it’s neutered, that it’s ‘good’ for them.  This is an old wive’s tale.  There is no medical evidence that this is so.  In fact, just the opposite.  An immature cat can face all sorts problems with a first litter.  Also, you will have the problem of keeping the kittens until they are 8 weeks old, finding good homes for them and possibly having to have them neutered and vaccinated yourself.  And you are taking away possible homes from other cats in rescue shelters.

Unneutered cats can be difficult to deal with.

Females will ‘call’ for a mate, a series of long, very loud wailing cries.  They will roll around on the floor, tossing about, sometimes violently as if they’re in pain.  This will go on for about a week.

If let out, she may disappear for days and sometimes never return.  If she does, she’s probably pregnant.

The neutering procedure for a female cat is called ‘spaying’.  This is a simple operation carried out under general anaesthetic and involves the removal of the ovaries and uterus (womb).  Afterwards there will be a shaved patch on your cats side and a couple of stitches, which the Vet will remove (if you cat hasn’t already do so herself) on the post operation examination, usually after 10 days.

Try not to let your cat lick the wound or pull at the stitches.  If this becomes a problem then get an Elizabethan collar from the Vet.

Spaying also has other health benefits.

It lowers the risk of contracting Feline Leukaemia Virus, Immunodeficiency Virus and Infectious Peritonitis Virus.  All are fatal and believed to be spread, partly, by mating as well as through close contact, such as fighting.

Spaying also prevents Pyometra and Ovarian cancers, as most cats are spayed.  These diseases are rare but are seen in the older, entire cat.  Spaying also reduces the incidence and severity of mammary tumours, which affect the older, unspayed cat.  These are almost never seen in cats that are spayed at 6 months old.

Male cats can be neutered when they reach 6 months old, this is called castration.  Also carried out under general anaesthetic and involves the removal of the testicles.

Many people think that it’s unnecessary to neuter a male cat as they won’t produce unwanted kittens for their owners.

However, neutering has benefits.  It stops them spraying inside & outside of the house (which is marking their territory) and stops them wandering off looking for females.  The smell is highly pungent and can be difficult to remove.  Neutering also suppresses their desire to fight.  Unneutered cats can become very aggressive with other cats and can get wounded defending their territory.

Once your cat is neutered you will have to monitor his weight and make sure he gets plenty of exercise.