 Think your cat will miss having sex?
The truth is that sex is a purely instinctual drive in cats and they don't get any pleasure or enjoyment from it. Breeding isn't pleasurable; it's instinctual. And it can be downright painful for them.
It is not necessary or even desirable for a female cat to have a heat cycle before she is spayed. A heat cycle will cause your female cat a lot of physical and emotional upset, may possibly make your cat ill, will drive both of you crazy, and is totally unnecessary from a medical and a behavioral point of view. Females who don't have kittens don't think about having kittens, nor do they miss them. A female cat spayed before her first heat cycle has less than a 1 percent chance of developing breast cancer. A female cat spayed after her first heat cycle has an 8 percent chance of developing breast cancer.
Common Myths About Spay and Neuter
Spaying or neutering your cat does not:
- Make your cat fat or lazy
- Make your cat hyperactive
- Take away your cat's natural instincts, including the hunting instinct
- Make your cat smaller or stunt his or her growth
- Narrow your cat's urethra or cause urinary tract problems
- Cause immature behaviors
- Cause aggressive behaviors
- Cause your cat to eliminate inappropriately
- Postpone or delay normal behavioral maturity
- Alter your cat's basic personality
- Leave your cat feeling sexually deprived or wishing for sex
Important Reasons to Neuter Your Male Cat
- Eliminates the risk of testicular cancer
- Greatly reduces the risk of prostate cancer and prostatitis
- Reduces the risk of perianal tumors
- Reduces roaming and fighting behaviors
- Reduces the risk of contracting bloodborne diseases such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)
- Eliminates urine marking behaviors in males neutered before the onset of these behaviors (usually before six months of age)
- Extends your cat's expected lifespan
- Eliminates the risk and spread of sexually transmitted diseases
- Eliminates unwanted litters
Important Reasons to Spay Your Female Cat
- Eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer
- Greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer
- Eliminates the risk of pyometra, a life-threatening disease
- Prevents cyclical hormonal changes that can interfere with diabetes or epilepsy medications
- Eliminates unpleasant behavioral changes associated with the heat cycle
- Extends your cat's expected lifespan
- Eliminates the risk and spread of sexually transmitted diseases
- Eliminates unwanted litters
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