Spay Or Neuter Your Cat

You can avoid unwanted problems for your fluffy, furry friend when you spay or neuter your cat. There are surplus amounts of cats and kittens living in alleyways and wandering the streets, unhealthy, unclean and mean- all because an owner was not responsible and did not spay or neuter their cat. It is not necessary to wait until your cat matures in order to spay or neuter them. In fact, there are misconceptions about waiting to spay or neuter. A female cat does not need to have a litter of kittens or go into heat before being spayed. Both female and male cats should be spayed and neutered by six months of age. Both sexes undergo a surgical procedure to permanently remove the sex organs. In females, the spay or ovariohysterectomy is the removal of the uterus and ovaries and in males, a neuter is the removal of the testicles.

Having this procedure done by six months or even earlier will prevent the cat from developing annoying mating instincts such as spraying urine around your house and/or yard and decreasing the need for the cats to escape outside, looking desperately for a mate- which can cause them to get hurt, lost or disoriented. Neutering your male cat will lower his desire to fight with other cats and prevent unwanted litters of kittens. Female cats, when spayed, have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, which tends to be fatal in cats. When you spay your female cat, you prevent her from contracting pyometra, a painful and very serious infection of the uterus that affects older females and requires surgery and intensive medical care.

Of course, unwanted litters and difficult pregnancies in older cats are completely prevented if you spay your female cat early. In addition to all these health benefits, you will not have to listen to the awful, disturbing sound of a female cat in heat, slinking around the house with her tail in the air! Neither male nor female cats will gain weight after being spayed or neutered. Some veterinarians suggest early spay or neuter. This term refers to cats being altered at a very young age, between 6 and 14 weeks. This procedure has been in practice for 25 years in North America and is a safe operation for your kitten to undergo. Studies have shown that early spay and neuter does not affect the behavior of your cat in any way differently than spaying or neutering at six months.

What it provides is the absolute assurance that your cat will not breed unwanted litters. Humane societies all over the world are overrun with unwanted cats and other animals. It is imperative that a responsible owner take his or her part in helping to control the population of unwanted pets and reducing the stress on the Humane Society in your area from placing these animals in friendly, loving homes. Many pets are euthanized when the shelter cannot find a home for them. If you want to breed your cat, discuss birth control options with your veterinarian.

Mark Clayson is a professional, home business entrepreneur, mentor and speaker. Visit Start Work at Home for more information on starting or developing a home business or his official site to find out more.