I’ve seen it in the shelter, too. You can have a completely terrified or terrifyingly aggressive cat turn into an absolute love bug after their procedure. All of those hormones sending them into a tizzy on top of the stressful situation, it makes sense. That’s not to say it’s never gone the other way around, though. There are always outliers. In the case of some under-socialized cats, I’ve had those hormones, especially heat cycles, trick me into believing I’ve had breakthroughs and been very let down when the cats didn’t want any part of me once no longer intact! I know there are some people out there who may be shocked by this, knowing my stance on declawing, you might not think spay and neuter to be much different - but they are.
I see arguments comparing the two regularly, so let me put this to rest before we get started. Yes, they are both painful surgical procedures that remove part of the anatomy. One is far more painful than the other, with studies to show it. One permanently changes the cat's posture - altering their physiology, the other is soft tissue. No, the cat cannot consent to either however, one has health and behavioral benefits while the other has benefits only to guardians and their possessions, having health and behavioral implications for the cat. One is an amputation of weight-bearing bones, the other the removal of reproductive organs the animal has no conscious desire for – it is simply instinct to reproduce from the very hormones that organ is producing. Once gone, that instinct is gone. If the animal has those organs and cannot reproduce, their stress will increase, and so forth. Ultimately, one has benefits and the other doesn’t. If you've seen a cat in heat, heard them having sex, or seen a toms desperate attempt to get outdoors - you can likely concur that it isn't an enjoyable experience for them. I know I’d have a hysterectomy if I were given the choice, but it's not so easy for us humans. Not a great argument, but, it is one I find reasonable nonetheless. I wouldn’t consent to having the front half of my feet amputated leaving my heels to bear my weight, or my Achilles tendon cut leaving everything limp – or whatever declawing/tenectomy equivalency you’d want to make for a human. Fingers don’t work for anything other than visual shock - we don't walk on them.
Let’s go over misconceptions for a moment and get them out of the way.
1. Your cat will not get fat just because it's altered. Laziness and increased fat are not directly connected to spay and neuter. Yes, hormones are great for keeping trim, but they’re not the catalyst. Feline obesity is a real problem that should be taken seriously, but diet and exercise are the keys - not keeping them intact.
2. It will not negatively impact your cat’s behavior. Yes, if you became accustomed to how lovable your cat was in heat cycles, that will stop...but there is genuinely no evidence to suggest alteration changes a cat's personality. You're acually lessening the risk of behavioral problems.
3. Your male cat does not care one iota about his testicles. He doesn’t have the same attachment to them that you do, boys. Your cat doesn’t even comprehend masculinity, that’s how secure he is in it! He’ll just appreciate that he won’t get testicular cancer or blindly run into traffic in search of a mate. For that, he says: “Thanks, dad!”
4. You don’t have to wait until they’re 6 months to a year old. A cat can make babies at 4 months old, so if your cat sneaks out and gets busy before their surgery appointment, that’s more homeless kittens filling the shelter system. Many won't, but I recommend finding ind a vet that’s willing to at least do it that early!
5. It does not need to have a litter or the first heat cycle before spay. I don’t know where either of these came from or why. No one can explain them to me. One person claimed "better behavior after heat." No, sorry, try again. The litter thing I can only assume is “to fill a motherly need” or because you just want to see kittens. Cats don’t want nor need to be moms. Foster if you want kittens, there are already plenty dying everywhere every day because there are too many.
6. It doesn’t have to be excessively expensive. There are grants and low-cost programs if you need them. There are people that can help. Even at private practive price, it’s cheaper than the potential health implications of not doing it. Testicular, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers aren’t cheap. Pyometra isn’t cheap and ends in spay anyway, if you catch it in time. Behavioral problems and the damage that can come from them aren't always cheap to deal with either. There are also emotional costs - like losing your cat because it ran into the street looking for a mate. No one wants that. Look around, there are clinics and means of assistance. It’s worth it.
We've covered this before, Energy -> Stress -> Frustration/Anxiety -> Aggression/Destructive Behaviors/Inappropriate Urination/Rhythmic Vocalization, et cetera. All things lead to the next, and there is always a pattern. A high energy cat that’s just playful can turn into an aggressive cat, or a very fearful and skittish cat as energy turns into stress. In this instance, an unaltered cat that is not given the freedom to reproduce is highly stressed, and that stress turns into frustration. That can manifest into aggression – towards guardian or other animals (This is a common call I get!), territorial or touch aggression. It can turn into destructive behaviors like scratching, and hey can mark territorially or inappropriately eliminate. They may howl and yowl at night, especially if male they will likely start door darting. This is all stress, but because they're unaltered it can’t just be treated with more play, enrichment, or any other behavioral means. There is a physical problem that needs to be addressed, a chemical, hormone problem. Sometimes…it can even be something deeper.
A male cat that’s unneutered might:
1. Spray around the home to mark territory.
2. Be aggressive towards other animals.
3. Aggress towards guardians. (Less likely. More due to stress due to other behaviors being suppressed than simply being intact, such as not being allowed to get out.)
4. Yowl, howl, rhythmically vocalize overnight.
5. Defecate outside of the box.
6. Door dart. A tom cat can sense a female in heat and will travel miles to get to her. He has no concept of safety. He may fight other cats, potentially contracting FIV/FELV. He may run into the street, nothing matters at this time other than reproducing.
7. Express other behavioral problems such as destructive behaviors in relation to any of the above being suppressed.
8. Produce several litters of unwanted kittens. A male cat can impregnate as many females as he like - there is no "cycle" or stopping point for him outside of when it is too cold to breed. The average female cat can produce 3 litters per year. An average litter is between 3-7 kittens. If those kittens survive, that one cat produced 9-21 kittens. Within 4 months, all of her kittens could be ready to make more kittens. That could be 147 more kittens, which could in four more months turn into 1029 kittens, and so forth.
Health implications:
1. They are at a higher risk of contracting FIV, FELV, Feline Herpesvirus, other illnesses (calicivirus, giardia, etc), injuries from fighting, as well as others due to the elements, humans that choose to be less than humane, vehicles, predators, and so forth.
2. Their risk for prostate cancer is increased.
3. When neutered, their risk for testicular cancer is eliminated.
An intact female cat might:
1. Spray around the home to mark territory.
2. Be aggressive towards other animals.
3. Aggress towards guardians.
4. Yowl, howl, rhythmically vocalize overnight.
5. Defecate outside of the box.
6. Door dart (Less driven than a male, but still will want out!)
7. Express other behavioral problems such as destructive behaviors due to the stress of not being able to reproduce.
8. Go in and out of heat. Cat heat cycles are not monthly. Cats only ovulate when penetrated, it is why male cat penises are barbed. Cats do go out of heat eventually, but there is no predicting it and they can go back into heat three weeks from now or two days from now. Cats in heat are typically lovable to an extent where they are incredibly annoying. They howl, yowl, scream. They will posture and tread their feet with their tails bent over their backs, presenting for a mate; if there isn’t one, you have to enjoy the show. Their moods may fluctuate between sweetness and agitation, they may become aggressive, frustrated. Heat is stressful for them, they don’t want to experience it…the point is to get out of it by getting busy, after all.
9. Produce several litters of unwanted kittens. The average female cat can produce 3 litters per year. An average litter is between 3-7 kittens. If those kittens survive, that one cat produced 9-21 kittens. Within 4 months, all of her kittens could be ready to make more kittens. That could be 147 more kittens. Which could in four more months turn into 1029 kittens, and so forth.
Health implications:
1. They are at a higher risk of contracting FIV, FELV, Feline Herpesvirus, other illnesses (calicivirus, giardia, etc), injuries from fighting, as well as others due to the elements, humans that choose to be less than humane, vehicles, predators, and so forth.
2. Their risk for mammary cancer is increased, and increases with every heat cycle.
3. They risk developing pyometra, an infection of the uterus, with every heat cycle. This infection can be fatal.
4. When spayed, their risk of ovarian and uterine cancer is eliminated.
Looking at all of the things that S&N saves you, is it worth the cost of not doing it? I certainly don’t think so!
Until next time.
- Meg
