SPAY/NEUTER
Nobody wants to cause the domestic house cat to become extinct, but when you consider the number of unwanted cats that are destroyed every year in the United States, it is evident that some sort of population control is necessary.
Eight to twelve million unwanted animals are taken to shelters every year in the U. S. Approximately 70% of them are put to sleep.* I don't want to be a part of that statistic....do you?
There are a wide variety of reasons why the responsible pet owner should have his/her cats spayed or neutered.
Unspayed females:
have many litters of unwanted kittens are at higher risk for uterine, ovarian, and breast cancer mark their territory by spraying urine call mates during the heat cycle roam often are quick to bite
Unneutered males:
father 100's of kittens each year are at a higher risk for an enlarged prostate and prostate cancer mark their territory by spraying urine fight with other unneutered males roam are aggressive
Spayed females:
don't have unwanted litters of kittens are at a lower risk for uterine, ovarian, and breast cancer are less likely to mark their territory by spraying urine seldom, if ever, call a mate have a more serene temperament are less likely to roam
Neutered males:
don't father unwanted kittens are at a lower risk for an enlarged prostate and prostate cancer are less likely to mark their territory by spraying urine are less likely to fight with other males are less likely to roam do not tend to be aggressive
As you can see, the benefits of spay/neuter outweigh the draw backs by far. Your cat will have a healthier and happier life it he/she is spayed or neutered.
When should you have your cat spayed/neutered? That's a good question. The Winn Feline Foundation has issued a report with detailed information about spaying/neutering your pet. The issue of age is discussed in the report. I urge you to read it! The foundation's name is a link to the report.
I have included links to a few sites that have additional information about spay/neuter. They will help you to make a more informed decision.
SNYP	Pet Overpopulation	Spay USA
Frasier's Spay/Neuter Page	Pawprints and Purrs Spay/Neuter	Tallyville's Spay/Neuter Page
* Statistics are from the June, 2000 issue of Cat Fancy magazine. Used with permission from Cat Fancy.
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