Desexing Your Cat-Benefits and Cost

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  • Even today, with worldwide resources at our fingertips, there are still pet owners who believe various stories about reasons for not desexing their cat.

    Much of what is said comes down to just a lack of understanding which is commonly caused by old wives tails that refuse to go away.

    Some of the common reasons people don’t desex their cat include the following:

    • Desexing will change the cat’s personality.
    • It is better to have a litter of kittens before desexing her.
    • I want my children to see the miracle of birth.
    • Affordability.

    Effects of spay and neuter on the cat’s personality

    Desexing can change a cat’s personality, for the better. Because the cats don’t have sex on their minds all the time, more often than not, they will become more affectionate towards their owners.

    People have suggested that cats can put on weight after they’ve been desexed. Personally, I haven’t experienced this problem with any cat I’ve had desexed. An entire cat will spend time prowling the streets looking for a mate. Once desexed, the urge to wander isn’t as extreme, and therefore they will spend more time at home. If you notice your cat is putting on weight after desexing, just increase the cat’s level of activity by playing games with the cat. Never put your cat on a diet without veterinary supervision.

    A queen who is calling constantly can lose weight. Some queens lose their appetite when they are in heat, they have other things on their mind.

    Entire males (and females) are prone to spraying. Cat spray is extremely pungent. Most cat breeders keep their stud cats in a separate cat enclosure because of this problem with spraying. Generally, females don’t spray, but it’s not unheard of. It’s more likely to happen in entire females.

    Entire cats are going to be looking for a mate. This means they endanger their lives wandering around the neighbourhood looking for a partner which exposes them to trauma from cars, dogs and cruelty.

    Entire queens come into heat every few weeks. When they are in heat they frequently call night and day. We once had a neighbour who let their entire Burmese female wander the neighbourhood calling, it drove the locals crazy. Trying to sleep with a cat howling outside your window isn’t much fun. It’s also very thoughtless of people who allow their cats to disturb the peace of other residents. Incidentally, this Burmese was hit and killed by a car before her third birthday, her daughter was also killed by a car at 2 years old.

    Health benefits to desexing

    An entire female is at risk of developing the following conditions:

    • Mammary cancer. The third most common tumour found in cats.
    • Pyometra. This is an infection of the uterus. At best, if caught early it can be treated, at worst, it can cause death.
    • Tumours of the uterus and ovaries.
    • Stress caused by constant calling can weaken the immune system.

    Author

    • Julia Wilson, 'Cat World' Founder

      Julia Wilson is the founder of Cat-World, and has researched and written over 1,000 articles about cats. She is a cat expert with over 20 years of experience writing about a wide range of cat topics, with a special interest in cat health, welfare and preventative care. Julia lives in Sydney with her family, four cats and two dogs. Full author bio