By Laura Atneosen
With kitten season upon us in Minnesota, rescues are all bracing themselves for the countless kittens that will be born to unaltered cats within the next several months. Whether the kittens are born to owned, stray, abandoned or feral cats, shelters and rescues are about to be bombarded with phone calls seeking help placing litters of kittens. This is in addition to all of the stray and abandoned cats that they are already trying to save and rehome. This happens every year and, unfortunately, results in many needless deaths.
It is extremely important that everyone does their part in keeping their cats from reproducing. Not only does it save lives, but this fast and routine surgery has many other great benefits to offer both you and your cats. Here are some of the reasons to spay/neuter your cats:
- It saves lives. Each year in Minnesota, approximately 90,000 companion animals are killed in shelters due to lack of space/adoptions. If you can keep a litter of kittens from being born and going into the rescue/sheltering system, you are saving the lives of cats – either the kittens themselves or the cats that would have been killed to make room for them.
- Your pet will live longer. Altered cats live an average of 4 years longer than unaltered cats.
- Spaying prevents uterine, ovarian and breast cancer in females. Neutering your male cat prevents testicular cancer.
- Your cat is likely to be a better companion and to focus more of his/her energy on relationships with their human family, as they will not be preoccupied with finding mates to reproduce with.
- Your cat is less likely to stray, as it will no longer go looking for mates. Often, when cats go searching for partners, they become lost, get injured, contract a disease or are killed.
- Your female will not go into heat and yowl for days every few weeks. If you’ve ever heard this sound, you’ll know why one would want to avoid listening to it.
- There will be fewer homeless and feral cats killing local wildlife, such as birds, rabbits and squirrels.
- Neutering reduces the chances that your male cat will spray to mark his territory.
- It decreases aggressive behavior in males who typically fight for territory and mates.
- It saves you money in the long run. You will not have to deal with the cost of unwanted litters or of injuries that may occur during roaming and fighting.
Even though your cat may be an indoor-only cat and not have anyone to mate with, they should still be spayed/neutered. You never know for certain that your pet will never get outside – accidents happen. Plus, you and your pet will receive all of the many benefits listed above.
Some people are afraid that the surgery will cause their cat to become overweight. Contrary to what many people believe, spaying/neutering your cat does NOT cause your cat to gain weight. Lack of exercise and too many calories (overfeeding) is what leads to cats gaining weight – just as it does for humans. If your kitty gets overweight, make sure to encourage your kitty to play with toys and talk to your vet about how to best adjust his/her diet.
If you cannot afford to get your cats spayed/neutered, there are resources out there that offer extremely low-cost surgeries. For those of you in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, MNSNAP (http://mnsnap.org/) and Kindest Cut (http://www.kindestcutmn.com/) are both fantastic organizations to look into. They both offer low-cost services to those who qualify. If your cat is not spayed/neutered, please visit one of their sites and make an appointment today! If you know of someone else who could use this information, please pass it along to them. Please help the animal rescue community to save lives while also keeping your pet healthier at the same time.
If you would like further information on the benefits of spaying/neutering, please visit the links below:
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/why_spay_neuter.html
http://www.spayusa.org/benefits.php
http://www.treehouseanimals.org/site/PageServer?pagename=caring_ccg_spay_neuter
http://www.adoptapet.com/blog/top-reason-to-spay-or-neute-your-dog-or-cat/
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