Sterilization in cats: advantages, disadvantages and myths

Sterilization is an irreversible and important process when it comes to assuming responsibility in a cat, since it will prevent unwanted pregnancies, will prevent males from marking territory and will be more protected from some diseases.

Many times, when people come to the shelter for a cat, they are surprised when we comment that the cat is delivered with the vaccines in order and commitment to sterilization. The most common question is if it is necessary.

Here we will talk about the sterilization process explaining the advantages, disadvantages and demonstrating some of the most recurrent myths.

What is sterilization?

First of all, we must resolve the question of what sterilization really is. Obviously, the main purpose is to avoid reproduction, but many people are unaware of the procedure and other advantages it can have.

Sterilization is a surgical process in which the testicles (in males) or the uterus with the ovaries (in females) are removed.

It is a quick and relatively simple surgery, more so in the case of the male because, with few exceptions, the genitals are external, that is, outside the body.

For many people, the words "surgical procedure" are a reason to get cold feet. It is normal, we imagine the operating room and the typical scene of the series where they put a patient running to the operating room. But did you know that tooth extraction is also considered a surgical procedure? That is to say, not all surgical procedures are equal in complexity or duration.

Advantages of sterilization

1. Prevent disease

Spaying our feline companion prevents serious diseases such as pyometra (uterine infection), mammary tumor, testicular tumor, prostate problems and sexually transmitted diseases (yes, there are also in cats).

Pyometra is a very common disease in female dogs and cats that occurs weeks after estrus. The symptomatology is very unspecific, the cat is apathetic, does not eat, may have fever ... It consists of a bacterial infection of the uterus that can not be solved with antibiotics but needs surgery urgently. It is a veterinary emergency and if it is not treated in time, it is fatal. Neutered cats reduce their chance of suffering this infection by 90%.

In addition, unspayed cats are more likely to have a mammary tumor. Neutering greatly reduces the likelihood depending on the age at which the cat is spayed. Female cats spayed before the first heat have a very low probability of having a mammary tumor.

In male cats, on the other hand, there are several types of testicular tumors such as Sertolinoma, among others. Neutering eliminates the risk of testicular tumor. We would also avoid prostate problems that are produced by the hormonal stimulation of the testicle on the prostate and whose treatment is usually sterilization.

In addition, if we sterilize our cat we will prevent him from contracting sexually transmitted diseases since he will not have sexual relations. We are not going to mention all the sexually transmitted diseases and their consequences, just think of all the ones that exist in humans and that, unlike humans, our furry ones do not know about contraceptives.

2. Increased life expectancy

On average, sterilized animals live 3 to 5 years longer than non-sterilized animals.

By avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, reproductive tract tumors and infections, sterilized cats live, on average, longer than non-sterilized cats. This does not mean that your neutered cat is going to be Methuselah or that a non-sterilized cat cannot live many years, but that sterilization extends the life of your cat, although its life expectancy will depend on many factors in addition to being sterilized or not.

3. Decreases territorial behavior

This is especially noticeable in males, which tend to show a more marked territorial behavior.

Males of feline species tend to be territorial and defend their space. This is because males with better territories are more likely to mate. And since our cats have the body of a stuffed animal and the spirit of a lion, they still maintain the behavior of their wild feline relatives.

Therefore, an unsterilized male can mark his territory by urinating on household objects and walls. By doing so, he warns other cats that this is his territory. In addition, he will defend his territory aggressively if he believes there is a danger of being displaced by a rival.

As it is a behavior linked to reproduction, sterilization eliminates territorial marking and also decreases aggressiveness. It also decreases the likelihood that your cat will mark objects in the house by scratching them, as they release pheromones with their claws and thus mark their territory.

Warning: there are many types of aggressive behaviors and not all of them are due to territory, if your cat is aggressive, consult your veterinary center.

4. Your cat will live more relaxed without estrus

Your cat will stop going into heat and that will save her a lot of stress.... And you too!

Imagine if when the daylight hours increase your body decided it was time to reproduce and your whole life was focused on finding someone to reproduce with. That's what happens to cats in heat. They call out in the form of constant meowing and may even stop eating. In addition, because they have what is known as copulation-induced ovulation, they may link one heat after another until she finds a male... or until the breeding season is over. Since the reproductive season depends on the hours of daylight and in homes there is electric light (inside the house it is day even if it is night outside) our cats believe that they are in the reproductive season. This means that they can be in heat at almost any time of the year. In females because they get desperate looking for a male and in males because if there is a female cat in heat nearby, their response is to look for her and reproduce, even stopping eating... and they can detect the heat of a female from great distances.

All this is not only stressful for your cat. Imagine your cat meowing all the time, non-stop. If you've experienced it, you know how desperate it can be. And your michi trying to run away from home all the time. A stressful situation for everyone.

That's why neutering will make life a lot easier for them and for you.

5. Decreases aggressiveness and desire to go outdoors

As we have already mentioned, feline reproduction is linked to territory. If your male cat is not neutered, he will tend to defend his territory aggressively against possible competitors.

In addition, both female and male cats tend to run away more when they are neutered or not sterilized. The females to look for a male to breed with, the males to "patrol" the surroundings of their territory and to breed with females in heat that they detect nearby.

It's a bit like their whole life is put on the back burner during the breeding season. Can you imagine having an obsession and not being able to think about anything else for hours and days? Well, this is a bit like what happens to your cat when she is in heat or, in the case of your cat when there is a female in heat "nearby" (according to studies, they can detect females in heat up to 2km away).

In summary: neutering reduces aggressive behaviors, but you will still have to respect their space and your cat may still have a tendency to go outside. If your cat has aggressive behaviors, consult your veterinary center.

6. Avoid unwanted litters

It is very common for baby kittens to arrive at the shelter. Either because a stray cat has become pregnant, or because a domestic cat has escaped while in heat and has returned home pregnant....

Usually the owners find a family for the kittens and have their kittens spayed or neutered so that it doesn't happen again. But not always... Unfortunately many times, these unwanted litters end up in abandonment.

Moreover, there are heartless people who abandon them to their fate. For example, we found some kittens in a garbage bag inside a dumpster, where when we rescued them, some had died of asphyxia and the rest were in terrible conditions.

Cats have a great reproductive capacity. A single pair of cats can give birth to 200 cats in 2 years, just imagine if stray cats were not sterilized! This is why at the shelter we advocate the sterilization of cats.

Important: if your cat has had a litter and you cannot take care of her, please contact us before abandoning them to their fate.

Disadvantages of sterilization

Now that we have told you about the main advantages of sterilization, let's move on to the "disadvantages".

1. It is a minor surgery

Sterilization requires surgery and these are never 100% risk-free. But the risk is very low because it is a short surgery (about 30 minutes) planned in a healthy animal. The benefits outweigh the risks.

To sterilize your cat you have to put it in an operating room and put it under anesthesia. Many owners are reluctant to spay or neuter because they fear the complications of surgery and anesthesia. But the anesthetic risk of a healthy patient is low, especially if a preoperative control (check-up and analysis) is performed. In addition, the anesthetic risk in planned surgeries (i.e. not an emergency) is low and in animals without pathologies is minimal. The anesthetic risk is classified from 1 (minimum) to 5 (maximum). This means that if you spay your cat preventively, she would have a risk of 1 (the lowest), while if you spay her for emergency spaying for pyometra, her risk would be 3-4.

This added to the fact that the risk is lower in short surgeries (less time under anesthesia) makes the risk of a planned surgery minimal. In the case of animals with pathologies, the risk may be higher depending on the pathology in question: in this case, consult your veterinary center about the options.

Myths about sterilization

1. Neutered cats become apathetic and put on weight

No, your cat is not going to turn into Garfield. It's true that after neutering, cats may be a little less active and develop a greater tendency to put on weight. But with proper monitoring, play and adequate rations, your cat should not put on weight. Also, in case your cat has a greater tendency to put on weight, there are specific formulations for neutered cats.

And if your cat shows symptoms such as listlessness and weakness, he is most likely sick or in pain, so you should take him to the veterinarian. Neutering does not make cats apathetic, illness and boredom do.

2. A cat cannot be spayed or neutered until it has had its first heat or first litter.

We confess, we have no idea where this came from. But for some reason it is "lore" that is circulating around and borders on urban legend. The reality is that if bitches are spayed before the first heat, their chances of developing a mammary tumor in the future are virtually nil.

It is true that there is an obvious limitation to spaying and that is that our kitten is sufficiently developed, strong and large enough for the testicles/ovaries and uterus to be visible.

In general, it is considered safe to operate from 4 months of age and it is recommended to operate between 4 and 6 months of age.

3. My cat needs to have a litter in her life to feel fulfilled and to avoid psychological pregnancies.

In this myth there are 2 myths mixed: that your cat feels fulfilled by having offspring and that females that do not give birth at least once in their life can have a psychological pregnancy. Let's go by parts because the subject is a bit tricky.

Cats do not feel fulfilled by being parents. It is a human sensation that cats do not have, although they understand us so much that sometimes they seem like people, their perception of the world and of sex is very different from ours, for them it is just another impulse. In the case of males, in fact, they do not take care of their offspring and may even consider them as competitors and show aggressive behavior. In the case of females, they will raise them until they are independent, then they will behave with them like any other cat.

Regarding the issue of psychological pregnancies, this is a more complex issue. Without going into too much detail, it is a hormonal problem by which the cat's organism believes that she is pregnant. Non-spayed females can have psychological pregnancies, although it is more common in female dogs than in female cats. Since it is a pathology that appears after ovulation, the best prevention is to prevent ovulation, which is achieved by sterilization. Therefore, if you are concerned that your cat may develop a psychological pregnancy, the safest thing to do is to spay her.