A Matter of Life and Death - Why Spaying and Neutering Cats is Important

 

February is Spay Neuter Awareness Month and Prevent a Litter Month.  Since kitten season is coming, this is the perfect time to talk about why spaying and neutering cats - whether they're yours or in a nearby feral colony - is so important.

The first reason is overpopulation. It's estimated that between 11 and 25 million animals are euthanized in US facilities every year.  North Carolina, the home of BCR, ranks third highest in the US for euthanized animals.  Only two states have a worse record!  (Click here to see where your state ranks.)  Unwanted and abandoned cats living in feral colonies who are not spayed or neutered are a large part of the numbers reported in every state.  Male and female feral cats individually and in colonies around the country produce literally thousands of kittens who end up as victims of disease, predation by other animals, human cruelty or unadopted and euthanized in shelters.  Spaying and neutering these cats is the most effective way to stem the tide and there are lots of great people working every day to help accomplish this through trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs. 

Need a visual to grasp how big the problem is?  Here's why even spaying one female cat makes a big difference:

 

 

Female cats can, in theory, get pregnant again as soon as 48 hours after they give birth to the last kitten in a litter.  In addition to the astounding number of kittens that could be born, pregnancy after pregnancy is terrible for the mother cat's health.  A study done by Banfield Pet Hospitals found that spayed female cats live 39% longer lives than un-spayed females.  Spaying can also reduce the chances of a female cat having a uterine infection or developing uterine cancer.

Neutering male cats is another piece of solving the overpopulation problem.  One outdoor male cat can roam and mate with numerous females over a wide area.  Neutering male kittens as young as four months old will not only prevent that but will also help keep around home as well as reduce fighting and indoor spraying.  Less fighting will also help keep them from contracting feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and other fight-borne diseases.

What about indoor cats?  Do they need to be spayed and neutered?  Yes!  You do everything you can to make sure your cats are safely inside but you cannot 100% guarantee that they won't accidentally get out at some point in their lives.  It will also make your life easier because  your female can't won't go into "heat" and attract unfixed male cats along with exhibiting the behaviors and yowling that go with it.  Your male cat won't want to roam and likely won't spray indoors to mark territory.  In additional to all that, the best reason for spaying or neutering indoor cats is for their own health and well-being.  Both male and female indoor cats can suffer from the same reproductive conditions and diseases as feral cats can.  Loving cat parents will always want the best for their cats and to be able to love them for a long time.  Spaying and neutering them will help realize that wish!

 

CLICK HERE to see the top reasons to spay or neuter cats.

CLICK HERE to read more about spaying and neutering adult cats.

CLICK HERE to read more about spaying and neutering indoor cats.