Many people are reluctant to neuter their cats, but the truth is that there are many advantages to doing so. Testosterone can cause your cat to experience sexual frustration and become aggressive and territorial, behaviors that will likely go away with neutering.
Ideally, cats are neutered when they are 6 or 7 months old, although after that age it can be done at any time. However, if we do it later, we run the risk that some of the cat's negative behaviors have become a habit and will not be completely removed.
In addition to eliminating kitten overpopulation and subsequent abandonment, the advantages of neutering a male cat are plentiful. Keep reading this article on our site to find out everything.
Physical Benefits
One of the advantages of neutering a male cat is that we prevent testicular diseases. Males can suffer from testicular cancer or cysts, which we can avoid by removing them.
In addition, we will avoid other diseases caused by testosterone, such as prostatitis, which is inflammation of the prostate; adenomas, which are tumors in the perianal glands as well as hernias in the same area; or prostatic hyperplasia, which is basically the enlargement of the prostate.
Behavioral Benefits
When a male cat is neutered the production of sex hormones such as estrogen or testosterone is greatly reduced. This will ensure that the cat does not get sexual anxiety.
Coexistence with an unneutered cat can be a problem, as they become territorial and even aggressive. On many occasions they mark their territory with urine and fight with other males to demonstrate their superiority.
When there is a cat in heat nearby, they do not stop meowing to try to get her attention, an attitude that can be really annoying. In addition, will try to run away from home to look for a female, potentially getting lost or hurt.
Castration eliminates all these problems, since it is the animal's testicles that emit the hormones that make them behave like this.
Frequent questions
There are many myths surrounding the neutering of a cat and that make many people reluctant to sterilize them. For example, it has always been said that a neutered cat will gain excessive weight. It is true that when your sexual function disappears your body will need fewer calories, but all we have to do is reduce your food ration
Owners also fear that their attitude will change and they will become more sedentary. What will change will be their sexual frustration and, therefore, aggressiveness and dominance, while their activity and energy will remain the same as soon as they are recovered from the operation. The truth is that the advantages of neutering a male cat are many while the disadvantages are minimal.
The operation
It is a simple and fast operation that does not cause suffering in the animal. Around 10 hours before the intervention, you should take away food and water so that it does not vomit during castration.
They will give him general anesthesia so that the cat feels absolutely nothing and it usually lasts a quarter of an hour. The vet will make a very small cut, so he may not even put stitches on it, and simply with pain relievers and antibiotics the wound will heal.
You can take your friend home as soon as the intervention is over. The hour after the operation you will notice the cat a little groggy, but you should not worry, since it is normal due to the anesthesia. As soon as the effect wears off they may be as energetic as ever or for two or three days they may be somewhat apathetic or tired, but this is normal since each cat is different and you will have a different way to recover
At the vet they will explain all the care that a recently sterilized cat needs, but if you notice something strange, don't hesitate to go again to have your cat attended to.
