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Spaying
Or Neutering Your Cat
Many cat owners do not spay or neuter
their cats. There are multiple excuses for failure to perform these
simple procedures. Some don't want to bear the cost of spaying or
neutering. Others think it is “cruel” to do so. Yet others simply
don't see a reason to spay or neuter their pets.
In all cases, the pet owner is making a terrible mistake by failing to
spay or neuter their pet.
Overpopulation
The main reason it is important to spay or neuter a cat is because there
is a terrible overpopulation problem with cats. In fact, the United
States alone has puts over 10 million cats and dogs to death every year
by euthanasia. This is performed routinely in animal
shelters because there are simply too many animals and
not enough homes for them to live.
The majority of cats that are put to sleep are healthy and friendly
animals. The majority of them are also young. For the sake of the
animals, it is important to have then spayed or neutered to avoid
creating more animals with no place to live.
Benefits To The Pet Owner
Having the cat spayed or neutered is also beneficial to the pet owner.
First, a pet that is spayed or neutered tends to be better behaved and
is more responsive to humans. In addition, cats that are spayed or
neutered generally have a longer and healthier life, which means the pet
will be around much longer to be enjoyed and loved. Also, the improved
health of the pet means fewer visits to the vet. In fact, it has been
shown that spayed felines are less likely to develop mammary cancers and
neutered males are less likely to develop uterine infections.
In addition, cats that are spayed or neutered are less likely to
“mark” their territory with smelly sprays or to damage furniture.
Cats that are spayed or neutered also tend to live a safer lifestyle, as
they are less likely to roam through the neighborhood in search of a
mate or to try running out of the house every time the door is opened.
Spaying A Cat
To spay a female cat, the veterinarian
removes the uterus and the ovaries through a surgical procedure. In
general, it is best to spay a cat at around 6 months of age, or before
she has her first heat cycle. The full name of the procedure is
ovariohysterectomy.
To perform the surgery,
the veterinarian first puts the cat under anesthesia. He then makes a
cut through the cat in order to remove the ovaries and the uterus. The
incision is then closed with non-absorbable stitches, sub-cuticular
stitches, or sutures. With non-absorbable stitches, it is necessary to
bring the cat back in 7 to 10 days in order to have the stitches
removed. With sutures, the sutures are placed below the skin. Here, they
gradually dissolve on their own into the cat's body.
A female cat can also undergo a tubal ligation. With this procedure, the
female cat is sterilized, but she still comes into heat and attracts
males. For this reason, a tubal ligation is a less popular choice with
pet owners. With either form of spaying, the female cat can generally
return the same day as the surgery and can be active within a couple
days.
A female can be spayed while she is in her heat cycle, though most vets
prefer not to perform the surgery at that time. There is often an
increase in the cost of the surgery for cats that are in their heat
cycle at the time. This is because the surgery requires extra attention
to detail since the blood supply to the uterus is increased.
Nonetheless, it is best to spay a cat during her heat cycle rather than
wait because she may become pregnant
to contract an illness from a cat she mates with.
Neutering
When a male
cat is neutered, his testicles are removed after
applying an anesthesia. Often, the cuts to remove the testicles are so
small the cat doesn't require stitches or sutures in order to heal. A
male cat should be neutered by around 6 months of age.
Neutering is not the same as a feline vasectomy.
With a vasectomy, the cat is sterilized, but the cat will still be
territorial. This means he will still spray and wander for a mate.
The descendants of
one cat
| Count |
Year |
No.of kittens born
|
No. of cats giving birth
|
Additional no. of cats giving
birth
|
| Spring |
1997 |
4
|
1
|
|
| Autumn |
1998 |
4
|
1
|
|
| Spring |
1999 |
12
|
3
|
2
|
| Autumn |
2000 |
20
|
5
|
2
|
| Spring |
2001 |
44
|
11
|
6
|
| Autumn |
2002 |
84
|
21
|
10
|
| Spring |
2003 |
172
|
43
|
22
|
| Autumn |
2004 |
340
|
85
|
42
|
| Spring |
2005 |
684
|
171
|
86
|
| Autumn |
2006 |
1364
|
341
|
170
|
| Spring |
2007 |
2732
|
683
|
342
|
| Autumn |
2008 |
5460
|
1365
|
682
|
| Spring |
2009 |
10,924
|
2731
|
1366
|
Total number of
kittens born in 6 years: 10,924
So next time you are tempted to let
your cat have just one litter or hear someone insist it is kinder for
the cat to give birth just once, remember - the "just one
litter" can be the start of many, many litters. It only needs one
of your cat's great, great, great grandchildren to have Pandora's
fate...
LET'S
KEEP PANDORA'S BOX FIRMLY SHUT!
Sources: Cat
Action Trust 1977 Home Page
I-Love_Cats
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