Neutering is a safe, painless way of controlling the cat population. It also helps reduce your household costs as caring for a mother and kittens is very expensive. Although some owners try and recoup this cost by selling kittens, there are already thousands and thousands of unwanted cats and kittens out there, we don’t need more! Many owners also find that kittens are harder to sell than they first thought. (CP)
The following are some common questions we're asked about neutering.
When can a female cat start reproducing?
Puberty usually occurs at around five to eight months in cats, although it can happen as early as four months depending on the breed of cat. We recommend neutering both male and female cats from an early age. However, it is important to note that the vet responsible for your cat will specify when they are prepared to carry out the neutering operation - usually between four and six months of age. Your vet will consider each case on its own merits. Cats Protection’s current policy is to neuter pet cats from four months and ferals from weaning age.
Will the cat get fat?
Neutered cats need less food after surgery, so you will need to reduce their daily food intake after they are neutered. Neutering in itself doesn’t make cats fat.
What aftercare will the cat need?
Your vet will advise you how to care for the cat after surgery. In most cases cats are ready to come home the same day. Most will need to be kept in for a few days after surgery and in some cases they may need to be taken back to the vet’s surgery for stitches to be removed 10 days after surgery.
What behavioural signs does an unneutered tom display?
Unneutered toms tend to be larger and generally more confident than neutered males. They tend to maintain a large territory area, as they will cover a large area looking for females that are coming into season. Because it is so important for toms to maintain a large territory to reproduce, they are more likely to fight with other cats and leave urine spray marks inside or outside.
The benefits to neutering are massive:
Financial - Neutered cats cost less to feed and are less likely to get sick or injured, saving you money.
Social - There are too many unwanted cats in the UK, we don’t need more. Neutering also reduces cats’ likelihood to roam, fight, spray and otherwise be a nuisance.
Health-improving - neutered cats are generally healthier.
Did you know?
Millions of unwanted and homeless cats are born in the UK each year. Every cat owner whose pet is un-spayed or un-neutered and allowed to roam must bear the responsibility for this over-population.
Remember, one female cat's cumulative offspring in ten years could total over 80 million!
Two uncontrolled Breeding Cats...
plus all of their kittens, and all their kittens' kittens, if none are ever spayed or neutered, add up to:
2 litters per year
2.8 surviving kittens per litter
10 year breeding life
in 10 years could reach 80,399,780
