Unlike their wild cousins in Africa, our cats have become a mostly domesticated species. This means that we all have to learn to live together. One of the best ways to ensure a harmonious relationship is to have our cats neutered. This is mostly to prevent more kittens from being born than our country can handle, but it also makes them more acceptable pets. Intact males are prone to spraying urine in our houses, and unspayed females have a prolonged breeding season that results in some socially unacceptable behaviours. Having our cats neutered may seem selfish on our part, but in exchange for their better behaviour, they are more likely to enjoy the benefits of having a human provide for their needs.
There are also some health benefits — castrated males are less likely to wander constantly across dangerous roads and pick up infections by fighting with other cats, and spayed females are much less likely to get certain types of cancer. We believe all cat owners should have their pets neutered, and hope you find the following resources helpful.
- Cats Protectionwww.cats.org.uk/what-we-do/neutering — the UK’s most well-known feline charity and rescue organisation, they obviously have a strong interest in neutering and have an excellent section of their website dedicated to the subject.
- The Cat Groupwww.thecatgroup.org.uk/policy_statements/neut.html — in addition to their work with infectious disease and vaccination, they also have a policy guide to neutering.
- Cornell University Feline Health Centerwww.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/health_resources/topics.cfm — information about neutering from an American perspective (see ‘spay/neuter’), including an article about neutering at a very young age. Bear in mind that almost all cats are kept indoors in the States.