Feline Spaying and Neutering

Spring is in the air!! Unfortunately, so is the mournful sound of the neighbor's cat in heat, accompanied by the chorus of tom cats fighting amongst each other for her favors. Soon, the mew of kittens will be heard. Sadly, many of these kittens will be homeless or succumb to trauma or disease if not properly cared for. Why is this particularly a springtime phenomenon? This is because cats, unlike dogs, are stimulated to go into heat as the daylight hours start to lengthen–hence the spring and summer arrival of the majority of kittens.  Interestingly, horses will start to go into heat as the days start to shorten.

Spaying or neutering your pet is one of the most important things you can do to help your pet lead a longer, healthier life. For female cats, the ovaries and uterus are removed. This obviously prevents them from coming into heat or ever having kittens. It also removes the chances of any ovarian or uterine tumors or infections. What is not so obvious is the fact that spaying your pet may also reduce the incidence of breast cancer. (This is especially true for female dogs.)

For male cats, the testicles are removed from the location in the scrotum. Occasionally, one finds the testicles located in the groin or in the abdomen. This condition is hereditary. These "retained" testicles definitely should be removed, as they are "hidden" and are a more likely a source of tumors. Benefits from neutering the male include reducing aggressive tendencies toward other males, which helps prevent fighting. Cat fights are a common way of spreading bacterial and viral infections, particularly the Feline Leukemia or the Feline Immunodeficiency viruses. Neutered male cats are much less likely to roam the neighborhood and will have a greatly reduced tendency to mark or spray their territory with urine. Testicular tumors and infections are rare in cats, but these, too, are prevented by neutering.

The most benefits from spaying or neutering are seen in young animals. Typically, your veterinarian will perform these procedures around six month of age, after the pet has matured a little and has been fully vaccinated. Thanks to the very safe, modern anesthetics, however, these procedures can actually be performed on very young and very old animals safely. If there is any question about the safety of a procedure, your veterinarian will likely perform some blood tests or take radiographs prior to surgery.