4 Benefits of Neutering Cats

If you consider yourself passionate about your cats there is a good chance that you are looking to give it as much as possible care possible so that they have a happy, pleasant and healthy life. Keeping his vaccinations and deworming up to date, playing with him daily, brushing him, keeping him hydrated, giving him rewards and a diet appropriate for his life stage, are just some of the basic steps guardians can take. for the well-being of their feline.

Added to this is the decision to sterilize him, a process which can sometimes raise doubts about its decisive nature for felines and their environment. Particularly in indoor cats, whose ownership takes place only inside the house, one might believe that this procedure is not as obligatory, since they would not run the risk of reproducing as if they had access to the outside.

However, according to specialists, sterilization is necessary for all kittens, regardless of their place of residence.

Veterinary doctor Amélie Pérez (@amelie.veterinaria ) specifies that sterilization aims to “inhibit reproduction, in this case, of cats. There are surgical and pharmacological sterilization techniques, but the most used are surgical, because they are definitive and accessible.

Sterilization, explains the specialist, is different for women and men. In the first case, it is an olivaryhysterectomy, during which the ovaries and uterus are removed. While in the second, we resort to orchiectomy, which corresponds to the removal of the testicles. Both methods achieve the same goal: preventing their reproduction.

But what advantages can sterilization of cats have?

1. Increases life expectancy. According to Cynthia Valdivia, veterinary doctor at The cool cat house It has been found that cats who have never been spayed or neutered can have a life expectancy reduced by half or a quarter compared to those who have undergone the process.

2. Prevents diseases. Veterinarian Carolina de la Fuente (@caarocat.vet ) indicates that sterilization helps reduce the prevalence of breast, ovarian and uterine tumors in women, as well as testicular cancer in men.

“Feline mammary hyperplasia is also avoided, which is very common in young females of childbearing age, and is reflected in the exaggerated growth of the breasts, causing pain and discomfort in the cat. The same goes for pyometra, which is an infection where the uterus fills with pus and which can be fatal if emergency surgery is not performed,” adds Amélie Pérez.

In the case of homeless or free-roaming cats, the chances of them contracting viral diseases such as feline AIDS or feline leukemia are also reduced.

3. Control overpopulation. Probably one of the most obvious effects of spaying is that it prevents females from coming into heat and having unwanted litters. Thus, abandonment and overpopulation of kittens are avoided.

“Cats ovulate when mating occurs, so in almost 100% of cat matings, the crossbreeding ends up being effective. This means there may be many more pregnant and abandoned kittens than dogs,” says Valdivia.

4. This will prevent unwanted or harmful behavior. When females have had surgery, they cannot perform heat-related behaviors, such as loud meowing, and in the case of males, they cannot perform urine marking in certain areas of the house, which This is commonly called “territory marking”. They also reduce their desire to go out, putting them at risk of fighting, being run over, attacked or poisoned.

According to specialists, it is optimal for cats to be sterilized before they reach sexual maturity, in order to reduce the risk of contracting diseases and to prevent them from adopting harmful behaviors.

According to Valdivia, the intervention can be carried out at the age of 4 months, but in very specific cases: when it comes to cats living in shelters or wild.

“This is not normal, because it has also been described in patients sterilized at a very young age and who may present growth alterations, for example in the cartilage, in addition to osteoarticular lesions in adulthood,” adds- he.

The ideal age to carry out the procedure, according to specialists, is between 5 and 6 months. “It is generally recommended to sterilize after the first vaccination plan is completed,” says Pérez.

Is it too important if a cat has surgery after the recommended age? Yes, since the larger they are, the risks of developing tumors or diseases may be greater. At the same time, it is much more difficult to change behaviors that have been adopted for a long time, for example urine marking. In any case, sterilization will be beneficial to him, but not as much as if it had been carried out from a very young age.

Pérez also points out that when the cat is very old and is going to undergo surgery, the anesthetic risks could increase. “There may be age-related comorbidities, such as kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, obesity, or there may already be a reproductive disease such as cancer or pyometra, which makes anesthesia and surgery itself more complex, but not impossible.” .

After cats undergo surgery to inhibit reproduction, the recovery process varies in each case, but can generally take two days.

“Once sterilized, energy requirements decrease by between 20% and 30%. If we give them the same amount of food as before the operation, and considering that their physical activity also decreases, it is very likely that our cats will gain weight if we do not control their diet or if we do not encourage exercise,” says Pérez.

Another possible change is that they become a little more docile and affectionate, adds the veterinarian. . In fact, their sexual hormones have been eliminated and they spend more time inside the house than on the street, which ends up “improving the bond with their guardians”.

To receive additional advice on the most appropriate time to carry out the procedure, it is essential to go directly to the veterinarian. “The call is to take care of them and sterilize them” concludes de la Fuente.