I don't know if I should neuter my cats. Please help.

I WANT to neuter my cats because...

1. I want to protect them from diseases and cancer that neutering may help prevent.
2. I'm concerned about the overwhelming cat population.
3. I don't want them to pee in my house on my brand new wall-to-wall carpeting.

I DON'T WANT to neuter my cats because...

1. The kitties themselves probably would rather it not be done. Much like I much prefer my parents didn't opt to have the top of my penis peeled off when I was a newborn. But hey.
2. Neutering my cats may not prevent any diseases at all, besides testicular cancer... which... isn't usually a concern in domestic cats anyway.
3. My cats are indoor cats and in the three months I have owned them they do not show any interest in getting outside. So if they aren't going to contact females, they aren't going to be fucking. Hopefully.
4. They might pee in my house anyway.
5. Their personalities may change. Which would be awful. These two guys are the sweetest, coolest, funniest, greatest, most harmless cats I've ever met and they get along wonderfully. They are ALWAYS in the mood for belly rubs. They don't scratch or bite. They cuddle with me at night. They are truly The Best.



I have an appointment for ball cuttings on February 2. I'm thinking of cancelling.
Please give me input.

What should I do?

 

please dont cancel!

ive had all my cats neutured/spayed and never once regretted the decision. cats DO get out, especially when u have guests over.

it really doesnt change their behaviour that much except to make them more laid back. if anything they will welcome your cuddles MORE after the snip snip. they will gain weight though, that usually happens.

you are making a very responsible choice getting them fixed.

 

Neuter your cats!

Please, please please, please. There is such an overwhelming population of cats. It's the best thing you can do for yourself...and for your pet!

 

Please get them neutered! Don't contribute to animal overpopulation, even if you don't think they'll get outside. They can still get out, and non-neutered male cats will spray (pee) all over once they're mature. Cat piss is one of the worst and most long-lasting smells ever, no one wants that.

Just be sure you go to a vet you trust. They will usually put them under so they won't feel the operation, and it's a pretty simple and common procedure so I wouldn't be too worried about it.

Also, I hope you won't get them declawed, that's just horrible! It's like amputating their fingertips. Neutering, on the other hand, is a quick operation, they won't even know the difference. My family's cat was neutered and we have never regretted the decision. He is now 12 and still very healthy, and he's the sweetest cuddle-bug ever!

 

I agree with the other posts on this topic for all the very good reasons they have mentioned. I hope you choose to go ahead and take them to the appointment since it is a minor procedure compared to girl cats and they should be fully recovered by the next day. I have found they mellow out a little without all the testosterone too...

 

im an advocate for the non neutering campaign for one reason. animals shouldnt be forced to have something like that done to them just because us humans dnt want to take care of them and their offspring. breeding is natural and its what happens NATURALLY.
neither my dog or cat are spayed, but they dont wander the neighborhood either

 

I take great care of my animals, actually. In fact, I have two cats at one of my houses, one neutered and one spayed. They are happy, healthy and have had no incidents of spraying or anything. My family's cat at my other home is not neutered and he is a nightmare....always trying to hump the outside cats, getting in fights, always getting injured or sick....

Through these instances, I will always encourage people to neuter or spay their animals...and it has absolutely NOTHING to do with not taking care of them properly...and I love and adore all of my animals and take care of them to the best of my ability. ANd so do those that care enough to spend the money to get them spayed or neutered. The way you stated that was very insulting.

 

I never meant that in any degrading way.PERIOD.I was stating my own opinions and beliefs.thats all.but u seem to attack me on anything i state IMO so i expect it.

 

Animals should also not be forced to be indoors or to be locked in cages...

Or be forced to eat a certain kind of food...I mean...if you want to go that far, we can.

 

no.thats okay. i prefer not to argue with you.but i will say this...if animals were supposed to be nuetured or spayed they would have been BORN that way.its like curcumsicion

 

Well, they weren't born to live indoors either...they also weren't born to eat the crap we feed them...

And I'm not arguing with you...I'm just saying that it was insulting for you to say that people who get their animals spayed or neutered "don't want to take care of them"....

I don't understand your logic, that's all.

 

i agree that pets should be spayed or neutered. a cat or dog who has babies who's babies have babies can be responsible for 50-200 kittens or puppies each year, thats an awful lot of kittens or puppies to rehome. even if you try to keep the cat indoors they can easily escape, cats are extreemley crafty & very smart & will get out if they want to. my friend thought she could keep her female cat indoors, she drove her crazy pacing the windows & meowing all the time & even though she was indoors the male cats could smell her & hear her calls. she ended up with lodes of cats spraying around her house which stunk & cats fighting in her garden. the cat ended up getting out despite all efforts to keep her in & she got pregnant, and because she got pregnant in her first season she had a small litter of deformed kittens.

in males neutering decreases the chance of getting prostatic disese, hernias & eliminates testicular cancer. it also reduces male aggresion so your cat is less likely to fight & get ears bitten off & nasty infections which can cost a great deal at the vets & alot of pain for your cat. also if neutered before 6 months old it will stop your cat spraying, if you've ever smelt spray (which is much more pundgent then urine) you'll understand why this is a good thing.

for females spaying reduces (nearly to zero) breast cancer and it also eliminates the chance of getting the fatal infection of the uterus (pyometra) which more mature female animals get. my mums friends dog got this & almost died, it cost my mums friend over £1500.

having your animal spayed or neutered stops them from romming to look for a mate, they stay round their home & have a lot less chance of getting hit by a vehicle or getting lost & getting in to fights. i cant see any negatives with getting an animal spayed or neutered especially before they are 6 months old because an animal that is neutered dosent have an urge to mate so theirfore isnt deprived of anything. animals dont have sex for fun like us & they dont feel urges to mate the same as we do so your not really depriving him of anything.

1000's of unwanted, unloved animals sit in rescue centres & pounds every day with no one to love them & 100's of animals will be put to sleep due to over crowding & many are drowned or thrown off motorway bridges because people cant find good homes for them. the best thing you can do is get your animal neutered.

 

Thank you for the post above...

You said it a lot better than I ever could

 

Domesticated cats and dogs are not natural anyway. They were bred to be what they are by humans. Nature created the wolf and cougar, we turned them into the poodle and tabby. Anyway since we humans created domestic animals is is up to us to keep them from breeding out of hand by spaying and neutering them.

 

Animals didin't ask to be domesticated. We took them away from nature, natural predators, and the cycle of birth, death, & population controol that happens in the wild(and things which are way worse & cause greater suffering then a simple spay surgery). We did this too them....now we have a responsibility to act in their best intrest. I would rather put a cat under an anestetic, have them spayed, and have it be over with - then have to continue to kill litter after litter of kittens at the shelter when "kitten season" provides sevral more thousands of kittens then their are avaliable homes to adopt them. 45 kittens are born for every one human person born & thats about the number of them that were killed every day - for about 4-6 months - at the shelter I worked for. Obviousley spay/neuter is in the animals best intrest - a few days of discomfort (pain meds take care of that) is much better then millions of deaths.

 

You're right! It's like curcumsicion! Not only is it hugely popular but it's healthier!

 

+1

Excellent post. There is no reason whatsoever for anyone not to spay/neuter their pets. If you think it's not "natural" then you shouldn't own any pets at all, because the concept of owning a "pet" is also very far from a "natural" concept.

 

for open minded hippies theres alot of close minded bickerings going on here i swear

 

uh huh and this is just like saying that circumcising humans is necessary to be healthy...if these things were necessary these animals and such would have been BORN that way

 

your talking about a whole different kettle of fish here, were talking about animals not humans.

compairing male circumcision & animal neuting is really no cause for argument because ones a pointless operation thats done for cosmetic reasons only & the other is an essential operation thats needed to stop our countrys becomming over run with unwanted animals.

i supose its only the same as men having the snip & women having their tubes tied. i'd rather see the animal have a realativley painless operation to stop unwanted preganancys than have to put countless number of animals to sleep because their is no one & no funds to look after them.