What You Need to Know About Spay/Neuter

by Beth Adelman
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Think your cat will miss having sex? The truth is that sex is a purely instinctual drive in cats and they don't get any pleasure or enjoyment from it. Breeding isn't pleasurable; it's instinctual. And it can be downright painful for them.

It is not necessary or even desirable for a female cat to have a heat cycle before she is spayed. A heat cycle will cause your female cat a lot of physical and emotional upset, may possibly make your cat ill, will drive both of you crazy, and is totally unnecessary from a medical and a behavioral point of view. Females who don't have kittens don't think about having kittens, nor do they miss them. A female cat spayed before her first heat cycle has less than a 1 percent chance of developing breast cancer. A female cat spayed after her first heat cycle has an 8 percent chance of developing breast cancer.

Common Myths About Spay and Neuter

Spaying or neutering your cat does not:
Make your cat fat or lazy
Make your cat hyperactive
Take away your cat's natural instincts, including the hunting instinct
Make your cat smaller or stunt his or her growth
Narrow your cat's urethra or cause urinary tract problems
Cause immature behaviors
Cause aggressive behaviors
Cause your cat to eliminate inappropriately
Postpone or delay normal behavioral maturity
Alter your cat's basic personality
Leave your cat feeling sexually deprived or wishing for sex

Important Reasons to Neuter Your Male Cat

Eliminates the risk of testicular cancer
Greatly reduces the risk of prostate cancer and prostatitis
Reduces the risk of perianal tumors
Reduces roaming and fighting behaviors
Reduces the risk of contracting bloodborne diseases such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)
Eliminates urine marking behaviors in males neutered before the onset of these behaviors (usually before six months of age)
Extends your cat's expected lifespan
Eliminates the risk and spread of sexually transmitted diseases
Eliminates unwanted litters

Important Reasons to Spay Your Female Cat

Eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer
Greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer
Eliminates the risk of pyometra, a life-threatening disease
Prevents cyclical hormonal changes that can interfere with diabetes or epilepsy medications
Eliminates unpleasant behavioral changes associated with the heat cycle
Extends your cat's expected lifespan
Eliminates the risk and spread of sexually transmitted diseases
Eliminates unwanted litters