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Why Male Cats Should Be Neutered
Population Control
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Health Benefits
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Behavioral Improvements
These are some
of the many reasons male cats should be neutered.
Sadly,
millions of cats and kittens are euthanized in the United States
each year because there simply aren't enough homes for all of them.
Loving pet owners and care-givers can do their part to reduce the
number of homeless cats and kittens by having their male cats
neutered (and females spayed). These simple, one-time surgeries also
help our feline friends lead longer, healthier and happier lives and
promote a more enjoyable human-animal relationship.
Too often, cat owners think first of the mother when the topic of
cat overpopulation comes up. After all, it's females that have
litters. Females come into heat every two to three weeks until they
are finally mated. Certainly, females should be spayed, a common
abdominal surgery to remove the ovaries and uterus.
Males, on the other hand, do not actually go into heat, but starting
as young as four months of age, they are always ready, able, and
willing to breed any females in heat whenever they can. Neutering is
the simple procedure of removing the male cat's testicles.
The low-cost "Quick Fix" spay/neuter "Quick Fix" spay/neuter clinics
and programs are offered by Second Chance Fund For Animal Welfare (SCFAW)
in Central Massachusetts and by numerous Boston area organizations;
see our Spay/Neuter Resource Flyer and distribute widely! Thank you
to SCFAW for use of this article.
Undesirable Behaviors and Health Problems
Unneutered male cats are prone to undesirable behaviors, such as
urine spraying to mark their territories. Often and sadly, this
leads owners to abandon their male cats or place them in shelters.
Neutering dramatically reduces the likelihood of this unfortunate
sequence.
Due to the high levels of testosterone in their bodies, unaltered
male cats are more likely to be aggressive toward their human
companions. And fighting among unneutered males is far more common,
resulting in bite wounds, abscesses, and transmission of various
parasites and diseases. Males that have not been altered are also
more apt to wander in search of female cats, increasing the
likelihood that they will be lost or hit by cars.
In addition, neutering male cats virtually eliminates the
possibility of testicular tumors and cancers and drastically reduces
the risk of prostate cancer, thereby increasing the likelihood that
he will live a long and healthy life.
Finally, neutering male cats is simply the right thing to do. While
male cat owners do not directly face the consequences of their cats'
prolific mating habits - i.e., kittens - their unneutered male cats
contribute directly to the problem of cat overpopulation.
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