We love cats in our house.
We have two of our own and, as fosterers for TVAW, at least one in the cathouse at the end of our garden at any one time.
Our pair of mogs might not enjoy it much, but we even enjoy it when neighbours’ cats stroll across the patio or venture in for a cheeky snaffling of a few unguarded biscuits.
We don’t love the smell of cat wee in our house, though (we’re strange like that).
There was a nice novelty to stumbling across the friendly ginger tom that’s paid us the odd nocturnal visit through our cat flap recently.
It was a novelty that soon wore off, however, when we caught a whiff of his territorial spray, liberally doused all over our kitchen units and curtains. If only the pungent smell wore off as quickly as the novelty of hosting our spritzing new cat visitor.
We couldn’t get angry at our uninvited guest; he wasn’t being rude. He was just being a bit, well, fruity. It is, after all, the tail end of the cat mating season (pun intended).
And he’s, how do we say this politely? ‘Intact’ at the back.
Left unneutered, male cats will wander far and wide looking for, how do we say this politely…? ‘Love’? There is, though, very little romantic about foregoing the idea of spaying your cat.
Here’s why you should make sure to get your feline friends ‘done’:
It cuts down on roaming
There’s nothing wrong with exercise, of course, but wandering too far can be dangerous when you’re a cat. Neutering lessens the desire to walk too far from home, especially in males.
Which then reduces the chances of them getting themselves lost or, worse, run over.
Their health
Neutering makes cats less likely to catch FIV (feline AIDS) or develop other diseases, especially mammary cancer in females. They can also get extremely battered, receiving nasty injuries from fighting.
Neutering lessens the urge to scrap over territory. That means less chance of fight-related injuries, which can be painful and get infected – requiring treatment.
Having litter after litter of kittens is also not kind to a female cat – so many complications can occur, with in-breeding causing a whole new set of problems.
At TVAW, we have had kittens born to feral mums with all sorts of terrible deformities and problems.
Out in the wild, they can die a slow and painful death. As can the mum.
Behaviour
Spaying levels out the hormones of your cat, calming them down. It makes cats much friendlier and altogether more docile and lap-happy at home.
In females (or ‘queens’), it means they won’t come into season, be super vocal and behave somewhat erratically. In males, it reduces the urge to roam, spray and fight.
Unwanted kittens
Unexpected litters often lead to dumped cats which, in turn, create feral colonies where many unmonitored cats can live without medical oversight or assistance.
Unwanted kittens that turn into feral cats are often treated rather unkindly by humans; often being shooed away, kicked, shouted at and having to struggle to find food. This establishes a fear of people which can lead to trust issues and impact their chances of rehabilitation if taken in. If you saw some of the cats that TVAW have taken in down the years, trust us – you’d have your cat neutered!
It makes good financial sense
It may cost to have the procedure carried out, but it’ll save you in the long term. Less trips to the vets and less replacement sofas and armchairs need buying.
Neutering may be slightly cheaper than you think, with the procedure generally costing between £50 and £150, depending on where you go.
If the cost is prohibitive, contact us. TVAW runs a low-cost neutering scheme (Google it for more info, details are on our website).
Are there downsides to neutering your cat? There are a couple of minor things to be aware of. Any procedure that sees anaesthesia administered comes with a very small, but still very real risk.
Other than that, the only other issue is that neutering has been shown to slow down metabolism, meaning that your cat may gain weight slightly easier. If that happens, it can be managed with some tweaks to their diet.
Ideally, cats will be neutered at around four- to five-months-old, but if yours is older – that’s fine. But the sooner the better.
The operation is a little more invasive for female cats than it is for males, but both are same-day operations and your cat should feel little to no pain afterwards, the vet will prescribe a short course of painkillers anyway).
So don’t put it off for that reason. It really is better for them in the long run.
We’ll leave you with one final advantage to neutering your cat. If they’re a tom, you can rest easy at night knowing that wherever they are, they’re not round a neighbour’s house making their furnishings smell a little bit like a horrible pub toilet.
For more, log on to Thames Valley Animal Welfare’s website, www.tvaw.org.uk
