Spaying and Neutering - at Skittles Cam

Spaying & Neutering

Should I spay or neuter my cat?

Yes, unless you are a serious breeder. Meaning you have done research on your breed and have breeding stock that is near perfect physically and tempermentally. By having this simple and routine procedure done you save your cat from future medical problems (such as pyometra in females, or prostate problems in males).

What is the procedure like?

Both spaying and neutering are routine procedures. Of course, with any surgery there are risks, but they are relatively low. You may opt for pre-operative bloodwork which will pinpoint unexpected problems. For both procedures your veterinarian will have you drop your cat off early the morning of the surgery, and they should not have anything to eat after midnight.

Neutering (Males)

Male cats are lightly sedated, and the testicles are removed from two small incisions in the scrotum. They usually do not require sutures, and will just have the incision area coated with an antibiotic powder. Barring any complications, they can go home the same day, and will be back to normal within 5-7 days. The only caveat here is if your cat has a retained testicle, then the surgery follows the same basic procedure as spaying.

Spaying (Females)

Spaying is more involved than neutering, because the abdominal cavity is opened. A small incision (usually between 1.5"-2") is made just below the belly button through the skin and abdominal muscle layer. The ovaries and uterine horns are pulled out (cats have a forked uterus, it looks like a "V") and tied off at the cervix. Then the uterus and ovaries are removed. The muscle layer and skin are stitched up, and the sutures need to be removed in 10-14 days. Cats can sometimes go home the same day, although some veterinarians keep them for one night to make sure they stay quiet.

(The term "altering" is also used for both males and females)

The Cycle...

Approximately 2,500 kittens and puppies are born each hour in the United States.(1) Some are bred intentionally by breeders who sell animals for a profit; some are allowed to breed by people who want their cat or dog to have the "experience" of having a litter or who want their children to witness the "miracle of life"; and some are the result of fertile animals being allowed to roam freely and mate.

Whatever the reason, the number of cats and dogs far exceeds the number of loving homes available. Unwanted animals are often treated as a nuisance; incidents of kitten drownings and dog abandonments are common. Many people drop off animals in rural areas thinking that someone will take them in or that they can fend for themselves. But the tragic results for the animals are cruel treatment, starvation, disease, freezing, highway death, procurement for research laboratories, and more unregulated breeding.

Even if someone can find homes for one litter of kittens or puppies, the overpopulation cycle continues if the animals are allowed to breed. And animals bred on purpose occupy homes that could have taken in homeless animals already born, destined to be destroyed.

Animal control agencies and shelters receive approximately 27 million animals annually. Those who are not adopted within about a week -- some 17 million of them -- are killed either by a painless lethal injection or by undesirable methods like carbon monoxide or decompression chambers.(2) In many areas where a practice called "pound seizure" is permitted, unclaimed animals can be given or sold to laboratories, where their deaths are often far from painless.

An Ounce of Prevention

Spaying and neutering helps stem the tide of overpopulation. It does not make animals fat and lazy, harm their health, or hurt their personalities, as some people mistakenly believe. Spaying not only reduces the stress and discomfort females endure during heat periods, but also eliminates the risk of uterine cancer and greatly reduces the chance of mammary cancer. Neutering makes males far less likely to roam or fight, and helps prevent testicular cancer.(3)

Female cats and dogs should be spayed soon after the age of six months. Males should be neutered between six and nine months of age, but both spaying and neutering can be done safely through most of adulthood. Some shelters are trying earlier spaying and neutering, which can be less stressful for animals.(4) The operations require only a few days' recuperation.

The one-time cost of spaying or neutering is less than the expense involved in raising puppies or kittens (food, shots, training, time) and is far less than the cost communities must pay toward animal control and euthanasia. Many cities have low-cost spay/neuter clinics to encourage owners to be responsible before they are faced with unwanted animals and before the animals themselves must pay for the excess with their lives.

References

Friends of Animals, Inc., "The Vicious Cycle."
Moulton, Carol, "Animal Shelters: Changing Roles," The Animals' Agenda, May 1988, pp. 14-15.
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, Alexandria, VA,"The Facts About Spaying and Neutering."
Bartlett, Kim, "Early Neutering Begun by Some Shelters," The Animals' Agenda, May 1988, p. 21.

Adapted from Peta Fact Sheets