Spay and Neuter… Should You Desex Your Cat?

Should you desex your pets? Many animal lovers are having great internal debates about this, especially as next month is Spay and Neuter Awareness Month. Pet parenting circles and vet circles are discussing this avidly. Why? Some animal experts believe spaying (female pets) / neutering (male pets) – aka dog and cat desexing – is good for their safety and health. Other experts disagree and feel there are drawbacks to consider.

Regardless of time of year, we believe in always spreading awareness about this important facet of cat health. For cat parents, use this article as the reason to sit back and reflect whether you should you desex your cat.

Come to the wrong place? Don’t go – if you’re a pup parent, our desexing your dog explained article is for you.

Now, let’s explore the good, the bad and the ugly of cat spay and neuter. Because we all know how the ugly duckling grew up.

Spay and neuter – understanding cat reproduction

Ever wonder how many kittens cats can have? In one year a single cat can have up to 20 kittens (or more)! In addition, Kiwi households are already home to nearly 1.5 million cats.

Just imagine if half of these cats are female and unspayed. That could result in a grand total of 15 million new kittens in a single year. Now imagine if cat desexing wasn’t a thing at all… Yikes.

Babies can have babies

Even more fascinating (and scary) is that each girl kitten will already be old enough to produce her own first litter around the time she turns six months old. That’s a fast turnover. In addition, a cat’s peak fertility (being in heat) can happen at any time. Not just once a month like humans.

Cats are induced ovulators. Induced whaaa…? This means cats can induce ovulation just by mating. Mating stimulates the release of the egg, making the chance of fertilisation almost a guarantee.

Baby making fast facts

So, what else is interesting about a cat’s reproductive cycle? Lots.

These are some fun figures (which of course can vary):

• Two – the number of minutes it takes for cats to mate
• Four – the number of times cats need to mate in a 24-hour cycle to induce ovulation
• Two – the number of months a cat’s pregnancy lasts
• Three – the number of kittens in smaller litters
• Twelve – the number of kittens in larger litters
• Eight – the number of weeks from giving birth after which a cat can fall pregnant again

A cat’s first litter is often her smallest litter. As a result, her subsequent litters tend to boast even more cuddly furballs. Which in turn need even more new homes.

Benefits of spaying or neutering your cat

Although we Kiwis love our felines, there aren’t always enough new homes for every year’s batch of cherubs. So, what happens when nobody wants them?

Social benefits of cat desexing

Animal shelters in New Zealand are highly overpopulated with many unwanted and abandoned animals. It’s one reason why we ask people to think twice about buying Christmas kittens for sale – they’re for life, not for fun. That aside, many of these shelter animals are the result of indiscriminate breeding.

Shelters home, feed and care for thousands of unwanted pets, but sometimes it’s not possible to care for every animal that comes through their door. And sometimes unwanted pets are picked up by, or taken to, other places. Places that decide to put the animal to sleep (forever) if someone doesn’t claim it or take it home within a certain amount of time.

As a result, many unwanted animals are euthanised every week.

In addition, when kittens and puppies do get adopted, it’s often at the expense of older cats and dogs. Prospective new pet parents tend to overlook older pets, especially when whenever there’s an influx of kittens or puppies at a shelter.

Health benefits of cat desexing

Notwithstanding the benefits of fewer unwanted cats flooding our shelters, spaying female cats is also known to reduce the risk of mammary tumours (breast cancer). Spaying a cat before their first heat reduces this risk seven-fold. Spaying at any age beyond this reduces the risk by 40% to 60%.

Research shows cats live longer and healthier lives once they’re spayed. Male cats can live twice as long as their unneutered counterparts and females live 62% longer.

Neutering male cats also removes the risk of testicular cancer. And even though male cats are less likely to get mammary tumours, neutering does still reduce the risk.

Behavioural benefits of cat desexing

When female cats are on heat, you can expect a fair amount of territorial marking. They are more likely to spray outside of the litterbox (not an accident). This gives off pheromones to attract a mate. They tend to get more affectionate when they’re on heat and also more vocal.

When your female cat is on heat, expect to have tomcats (as in plural) arrive unannounced. A tomcat is a sexually mature male cat that hasn’t been neutered. A cat fight between the tomcats is almost a certainty as they rival over the girl.

When tomcats roam, they’re not only more likely to be hurt in one of these fights, they’re more likely to be hit by a car or attacked by another type of animal. They may even get lost.

Therefore, by spaying and neutering your cats you’ll be rid of spraying, cat fights and more.

Watch our PD Pet Care Vlog with Dr Cath Watson with more vet insights on desexing cats and dogs:

Desexing your cat – why you shouldn’t

Now let’s consider why you might not want to desex your cat…

The top answer is of course that you’re the cat lady (or lad). In addition, you have the resources and love to care for or rehome a batch of cute kittens. In which case, here are the top 5 things new kitten parents need to know.

Spaying and neutering does have some potential health risks for your feline friend. These include:

• Post-surgery infection
• Internal bleeding
• Allergic reaction to anaesthetic
• Slower metabolism
• Infected stitches

For some pet parents, keeping their cat intact is the right choice. For example, if you can keep your cat apart from other cats when they’re on heat. Every time. This of course takes time and determination.

Spay and neuter – how is it done?

For boy and girl cats, the procedure is slightly different. In both cases your pet will undergo a surgical procedure under general anaesthetic. Just like with humans, your cat will need to fast for the 12 hours leading up to the surgery. They can still have water during this time, just no food or they may vomit during surgery.

Female cat desexing – Spaying

The vet makes a small incision in the midline of the abdomen. Your vet will remove the ovaries and uterus and close the incision with layers of sutures.

Male cat desexing – Neutering

The vet makes an incision over each side of the scrotal sac then removes each testicle. They won’t remove much of your cat’s reproductive tract structure. In other words, without the testes, he won’t produce sperm and won’t be able to father kittens.

The vet ties together blood vessels and spermatic cords, which stops the bleeding. As a result, your cat usually won’t require stitches.

Spay and neuter aftercare

In most cases, your cat will be able to come home on the day of the surgery. It’s a good idea to give the vet a call before pick-up. Sometimes kitty needs an overnight stay.

Your cat will be tired and sore after arriving home from surgery. They’ll need to rest in a quiet, dark room that’s warm. The 24 hours following surgery is the key recovery time.

Avoid doing the surgery at a busy time in your home. For example, holidays or kids having friends stay over. Keep all children and other pets away from your cat, so they can sleep and recover well. Keep a close watch to monitor his/her recovery.

The first 24 hours of cat desexing

It can take 24 hours for the effects of the anaesthetic to wear off. In this time, only give your kitty a little water in a bowl and little or no food. Water could make him/her vomit, so smaller amounts are better. The following day you can resume a normal feeding routine.

Make sure kitty has a clean litter box nearby within their recovery room, to minimise walking. For girls especially, any dirt or bacteria from the litter tray that gets into sutures could cause an infection and complications.

Female cats shouldn’t do any strenuous activity for one to two weeks after surgery. This will give the sutures time to heal, so they don’t open/become infected. No climbing stairs, jumping, climbing and running, to give kitty the best chance to recover well.

Follow your vet’s advice – they can tailor aftercare for your cat’s age, breed and size.

Beyond the spay and neuter

Have you had time to sit back and think about whether to desex your cat? The choice to take action is on you now, and it’s a big one.

We can’t make your decision on it any easier but the fact that we give new customers one or more months of FREE cat insurance or dog insurance may help with making a decision on pet health cover. Plus, we don’t have lock-in contracts so you can cancel anytime. Click below to price a PD Insurance plan today.