Good reasons to have your cat neutered or desexed
Desexing your pet is an important part of responsible pet care. The reasons to do this cover three main ideas; health, behaviour and animal welfare.
Female cats
- Greatly reduced risk of breast cancer if done early
- Removes all risk of ovarian and uterine cancer
- Eliminate risk of infections of the womb
- Prevents unwanted pregnancies
Male cats
- Much less strong smelling urine in the house
- Decreased urge to roam and fight
- Decreased risk of fight injuries, accidents, infection with FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus)
- No risk of testicular cancer
All Cats
- Reduced behavourial problems including frustration, aggression and territorial marking
- Improved animal welfare in Hong Kong
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Female Cat Health problems
Mammary or breast cancer. This is very difficult to treat in cats and spreads rapidly through the body. Desexing a female cat dramatically reduces the chances of getting mammary cancer, and the earlier she is desexed the better. If desexing is done before the first season the incidence is reduced by 99%! In addition, cancers of the womb or ovaries cannot occur once they have been removed during the desexing operation. Desexing your cat early is the single most important step to preventing cancer!
Pyometra. The womb can become infected and filled with pus making the cat very ill. The treatment of this problem is an expensive and dangerous surgery. The desexing operation prevents the problem happening.
Diabetes. If a female cat with diabetes has not been desexed the disease is more difficult to control.
Male Cat Health Problems
An entire male cat has strong sexual urges to try to find a female mate. If he has chance to go outside he will roam over a large area looking for females. He will be at great risk of injury by accidents, falls or even deliberate acts by cruel people. He will meet other male cats and they will fight over the female cats. Cats can get severe injuries and abscesses from fighting. They can also be infected with a virus, FIV, which will weaken the immune system and cause many other problems. By keeping a male cat indoors and de-sexed we can greatly reduce these risks to his health.
Behaviour
An entire male cat is not the best pet to keep confined in a small flat. As he matures the levels of male hormones in his blood will increase. Some of the hormones are excreted in the urine and cause a very strong unpleasant smell which will fill the flat. The male hormones will also change his behaviour. He will have an urge to mark his territory (the flat you live in with him). He does this by standing against a vertical surface and spraying the strong smelling urine against it. The smell is extremely difficult to remove and if your cat notices the smell is not strong enough he will just spray more urine! Your home will be very smelly, even if he only uses the litter tray.
Animal welfare
In Hong Kong there are over 30,000 unwanted animals killed every year. The last thing that this distressing situation needs is for amateur breeders to produce more pets to add to these numbers. We hear many common reasons why people want their cats to breed, these include
I can find homes for the kittens! |
This just deprives other, unwanted, kittens in rescues of a potential home. |
I want my cat to have the experience |
Pets do not miss experiences! |
It’s natural! |
Domestic pets in modern cities do not lead ‘natural’ lives. Modern breeds are not the same as lions and tigers. |
My cat is special! |
Everyone thinks their pet is special…. Having kittens does not guarantee that the offspring will be the same as the parents – genetics is much more complicated than that. |
Pregnancy, giving birth and raising offspring is a very demanding and for some breeds can be quite dangerous to the mother. It is best avoided for the welfare of your pet and for the welfare of all the unwanted animals that the rescue agencies and government need to kill if they cannot find homes for them.
What does desexing my pet involve?
Desexing surgeries are common straightforward operations that are carried out at our clinic on a daily basis. Phone us on 2330 7566 and make an appointment, or discuss it with us at your kitten vaccination consultation.
We will ask you to bring your cat to the clinic in the morning and collect it again the same evening. During the admission consultation we will fully examine your cat. The surgery is performed early, so your cat will be fully awake and ready when you come to collect in the evening. We will give you full instructions on aftercare at that time. With the modern surgical techniques, anaesthetic protocols and nursing procedures available at Hung Hom Veterinary Clinic you can be assured that every care is taken with your pet’s comfort and safety.
For all these reasons we strongly encourage you to get your cat desexed. It is in the interests of their health and happiness and shows that you are a responsible pet carer. This is part of “caring for what matters”, your cat’s health.
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