Feature page - Neutering
Why Neuter?
Neutering has many health benefits, as well as helping to reduce the number of unwanted cats.
Neutered male cats are;
- Less likely to roam, reducing the risk of them being run over
- Less likely to fight, reducing the risk of them getting injured
- Less likely to contract serious diseases such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) or feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) through fighting
- Less likely to display territorial behaviour such as spraying
- Unable to develop tumours of the testicles
Neutered Female cats are;
- Unable to get pregnant and have unwanted litters of kittens
- Not going to call or wail, as un-neutered queens do when in season
- Less likely to contract diseases such s FIV and FeLV spread by bites
- Unable to develop cancer of the ovaries or uterus
- Less likely to develop mammary cancer – especially if neutered under the age of six months.
Neutering facts
There are many myths that circulate about neutering. To set the record straight here are the facts;
- There are around 2.5 million stray cats living in the U.K
- One un-neutered female cat can be responsible for 20,000 descendents in just five years
- Cats can be sexually active from just four months old
- It is not beneficial for a cat to have ‘just one litter’ before being spayed
- Gestation in cats (the length of pregnancy) is only nine weeks and a female cat can come into season again just six weeks after giving birth
- Pregnancy and motherhood are physically very demanding for a cat – repeated pregnancies take their toll
- Cats will breed with their brothers and sisters
- A cat can have up to three litters a year with five or six kittens in each litter. That adds up to 18 caring homes for cats protection to find each year, just for one cats kittens!