Even though, for some cat owners it may seem like this question is up for debate, in reality the medical community as well as animal welfare organizations around the world have conclusively agreed that spaying and neutering are beneficial for cats’ health and overall well-being; importantly, it helps to fight overpopulation of street cats and keeps the shelters from overcrowding.
Health benefits
Spaying a female cat helps prevent:
- Uterine infections
- Uterine cancers (endometrial cancer, uterine sarcoma)
- Ovarian cancer
- Breast cancer
Neutering a male cat eliminates the possibility of him having testicular cancer and decreases the risk of prostate problems.
Neutered and spayed cats have a longer and happier life overall.
Neutered and spayed cats have a longer and happier life overall.
Behavioral benefits
When in heat, both male and female cats are highly stressed. They may meow loudly, bite, become aggressive in order to express their mating instinct. Male cats may mark the house. Oftentimes, males tend to demand they go outside to look for a partner. Please, don’t let your cat outside alone. Roaming exposes a cat to contagious diseases, such as feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency virus and others. Not to mention, a cat risks being hit by a car or bitten by another animal.
Spaying and neutering ensures your cat is content and has a stable mood.
Spaying and neutering ensures your cat is content and has a stable mood.
Overpopulation
Every cat deserved a loving home, but, unfortunately, lots of lovely cats are left to fend for themselves on the streets due to overpopulation. And shelters can only do so much.
It’s important to understand that when your cat have kittens, because you decided not to spay it, you take away the chance to get adopted from 4 to 6 cats from the shelters.
Neutering and spaying are the top priority for us in BedForPet Prague, because the less cats need saving from the streets, the higher chance is for those who are in shelters already to get noticed and adopted.
At what age should a cat be spayed or neutered?
Ideally a domestic female cat should be spayed at around 5-6 months of age and before the first heat. A male cat is ready to be neutered at 8 month.
In shelter environment cats may be sterilized at as early as 8 weeks old. But it is generally out of necessity, as for the cats’ health it’s beneficial to be sterilized later to decrease a risk of complications.
In shelter environment cats may be sterilized at as early as 8 weeks old. But it is generally out of necessity, as for the cats’ health it’s beneficial to be sterilized later to decrease a risk of complications.
What examinations are necessary before the surgery?
- general clinical blood test
- biochemical blood tests
- echocardiography
