Pros & cons of neutering your 🐱 kitten

Pros & cons of neutering your kitten

16 July 2019
Updated: 7 May 2020
Posted by Hannah in Cats

Having a kitten is a fun and rewarding experience. But it does come with a lot of responsibility and decision-making. What will you feed them? Will they be allowed out when they’re old enough, or be an indoor-only cat? Will you get them neutered/spayed?

The question of getting your cat ‘fixed’ is a big one and one that can’t be addressed fully in this article, so it would be best to speak to your vet before deciding.

By choosing to neuter your cat, you’re helping to reduce the overpopulation problem and the number of cats that end up in rescues but, sometimes there are medical or behavioural issues that may mean it isn’t the right choice for your cat.

Below is our summary of the pros and cons of neutering and spaying to help you make an informed decision:

Pros for neutering your male cat

It helps reduce the overpopulation problem as your cat will no longer be able to breed.
It removes your cat’s drive to mate and stray from home, which may produce a calmer demeanour and reduce vocalisation.
It reduces territorial behaviours like urine marking and fighting.
It removes the risk of testicular cancer.

Cons of neutering your male cat

It involves anaesthetic and surgery, which has a very low risk of complications.
It could lead to weight gain.

Pros of spaying your female cat

It helps reduce the overpopulation problem as your cat will no longer be able to breed.
It removes heat cycles, which can be stressful.
Your kitten will be much less likely to develop cancers, including mammary gland and uterine tumours.
It removes your cat’s drive to mate and stray from home, which may produce a calmer demeanour and reduce vocalisation.
It will stabilise hormone levels, meaning your cat is less likely to develop UTIs.

Cons of spaying your female cat

It involves anaesthetic and surgery, which has a very low risk of complications.
It could lead to weight gain.

Hopefully these points have helped in your decision-making but, if not, your vet is the best person to speak to about your concerns. Feel free to comment below with your own experiences and any points you think we have missed.

Written by: Hannah

Comments

16th Jul 2019

Wendy Rosser

Customer Since: December 2016
From: Gwent, United Kingdom

I had mother and 2 feral kittens in my garden, cats protection help me trap them. All 3 was spayed and returned to me within 48hrs and released to enjoy their feral habits. One kitten stays around the garden daily and the other two visit from time to time. No more unwanted kittens and they enjoy their life in peace. They all look in good condition with their spayed clipped ear for idenification..

17th Jul 2019

Kath Holt

Customer Since: July 2014
From: Cheshire, United Kingdom

Surely the pros for neutering far outdo the cons. I have cared for many rescued cats over the years, of both sexes - all were neutered and only two, one male and one female, ever suffered from urinary problems. Only one went on to become a fatality (at the age of 16) with kidney failure. One of my rescues, neutered as an adult, tragically lost his life through intractable abcesses in his jaw due to fighting, and severe injuries and illnesses are common in un-neutered males as they battle for territory and access to females. Entire females will constantly be either in oestrus or pregnant (if allowed out) and can become very frustrated and unhappy if confined. In my experience cats not intended for breeding are almost always happier and healthier when neutered/spayed.