I know at one time cat owners were encouraged to have their cats done to prevent unwanted kittens, but read somewhere that this policy has been discontinued as it was "too successful". To be honest, I seem to see far fewer adverts for kittens these days and some individuals even charge for non pedigree kittens as they are hard to obtain.

Anyone??

All domestic cats should still be neutered/spayed.

Contact Cats Protection if you want the figures for the amount of unwanted cats and kittens in rescue centres.

Their first line of advice on caring for cats is to have them neutered.

Thanks for your reply.

I wonder if there are any reasons to have a Tom cat done for the sake of the cats health? (I was once told on here that a female should be done as it reduces the risk of cancer to some part of the cats reproductive system).

Can you please explain to me which of the sexes gets neutered/spayed.

Thanks.

Both! As cosmo said this is necessary to reduce the number of unwanted kittens but it also makes them much better pets and is much better for them in the long run.

Males are neutered - females are spayed.

Also your male cat being neutered will stop it marking your territory! Less whiffy!

I am a huge believer in neutering, there are too many kittens being sold on the likes of gumtree for stupid prices to people just doing it for tax free income rather than caring about a life.

Does de-nutting a cat have any hormonal effects, like it did when they used to castrate boys, to keep them singing soprano

Thanks. Just out of interest, does anyone know where these different terms come from and why?

Both males and females are neutered.
In males this neutering is termed castration, in females neutering is termed spaying.

Neutering also prevents a lot of the fighting that comes with the mating season and territory protection.

I recall my mother in law many years ago had an un-neutered tom and he was constantly full of cuts and bites.

Neutering saves lives and promotes good animal health.

Cats can get very sick if they have too many kittens.

Too many unwanted kittens leads to misery to the poor animals. You only have to go to foreign countries to see how they treat their cats and kittens.

Agreed. It is a kindness to have them seen to. Too many unwanted kittens and indeed puppies in the world. I have seen things here in Cyprus, where there is little or no animal protection that are very upsetting.

i have a 1 yr old tomcat which is big with bengal markings and he hasnt been neutered because he wanderd in to the house as a stray and has stayed ..it would be cruel to neuter him i think as he likes going out all night and he fights / hunts ...........

My local rspca is packed full of cats right now thanks to winter litters of kittens. Where I live there is a golf course behind the property on which we often see stray cats. Quite a few of them have had kittens in recent weeks and I dread to think how they will survive during this cold spell. I think charging for kittens is a good way to make sure they only go to responsible pet owners, rather than someone who takes one on a whim.

Be a considerate owner. Get him done. He will still be happy and do what he enjoys without impregnating strays and leaving the kittens in already overrun rescue centres

He'll have more chance of getting seriously injured in a fight they can get horrific bite injuries and cab be very agressive to other cats also he will go wandering and could be fathering kittens all over the place. He will also be more likely to get illnesses such as FIV due to constant fighting

Get him neutered after a couple of days he will be a normal cat and wont notice a thing and it will be better for him and his health

I've had nine cats, all of them from local rescues.
All but two of them have been male, and irrespective of sex, the rescues have been very particular about them being neutered.

A work colleague got a kitten for christmas this year.
She's barely out of her teens and has just moved into a flat with her boyfriend.

The boyfriend wanted to get her a kitten for christmas and rang round the rescues, who wouldn't even consider them as a suitable home because they live on a busy main road and only have a tiny courtyard out the back.
He was quite prepared to pay £50 for a moggy, so he got one privately.

The private sellers are able to charge for them if they don't care what sort of home they're going to.
If you've got the sort of setup that is good for a cat, the rescues have dozens of them to virtually give away, but if you haven't, you'll have to pay.

Since when? There are still far too many unwanted kittens born.

The only reason you don't see as many adverts for kittens is because the kittens, or even sometimes the pregnant queens, are taken to shelters or simply abandoned, or they are disposed of in worse ways if you know what I mean.

People will charge for non-pedigree kittens just as they will for non-pedigree puppies. It's their prerogative, it's not because they're rare.



Neutered applies to both sexes. Females are spayed, males are castrated.


Of course it wouldn't be cruel.

Neutering is not going to affect his hunting instincts. It does tend to affect their tendency to fight which has the added benefit of making them less likely to catch infections that cats pass onto others during fights.

Trust me neutering a cat does not affect their hunting instinct - all 5 of mine are neutered and all of them bring us presents of mice regularly.

Hunting instinct is not linked to testosterone or oestrogen so there's no reason why it should.

It diminishes a tom's fighting instinct (as they become less territorial and possessive) and their libido. It doesn't affect a queen's libido as that, as with women, is as much psychological as sexual.

Also it reduces a tom cat's scent which is extremely pungent and remains anywhere in the house that the cat sits or lays for any time.

My neutered Tom brings in anything that he can get through the catflap, and what won't fit gets left on the doormat outside.

Headless pigeons/large doves/huge rats.....

Castrating a Tom reduces the risks of straying, fighting and aggression and spraying. If you don't know what spraying is then imagine the smell of ammonia all over your house!!!

Spaying a female reduces thr risks of some cancers. Stops her from getting a pyometra (infected womb) which is nasty and fatal. It also stops her from having lots of kittens which can be harmful to her health and adds to the population of unwanted kittens. When a female cat comes into season, she will stay in season until she has been mated. If she is not mated she will stay in season and potentialy her womb will become infected and filled with pus (pyometra) which left untreated may kill her.

It is NOT cruel to have your cat spayed/castrated, it is one of the kindest things you can do for them as a caring and responsible owner.

Mine too, though for some reason one of them likes to bring frogs!

Yes, a neighbours former cat used to go to the stream at the bottom of the garden and hunt for frogs!

I didn't think cats would go after frogs...

Hoping to meet a Prince no doubt.