Meow Monday: Benefits of Spaying/Neutering

One of the most important health decisions you will make in your pet's life is whether to spay/neuter them. Spaying and neutering offer life-long health benefits to your pet which is why it is something you should have done. Spaying is where a female pet's ovaries and uterus are removed. Neutering is where the testicles are removed from your male pet. Each procedure is now easily affordable due to most states having low cost spay/neuter programs. I will provide a link to these at the end of the post. Here are some legitimate reasons to have your pet spayed/neutered.

+ Neutering not only prevents unwanted litters but it also prevents testicular cancer if done before six months of age.

+ Spaying your pet offers protection from uterine infections and breast cancer which is fatal in 90% of cats and 50% of dogs.

+ An intact male will do anything to find a mate which includes digging out of your yard which increases his chance of getting hit by a car or getting into fights with other males. If he is neutered he will not want to roam away from home.

+ A spayed female won't go into heat. Female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. They will yowl and urinate more frequently - even all over the house - to advertise themselves to mates.

+ Unneutered dogs and cats tend to mark their territory by spraying strong smelling urine all over the house. They also tend to be more aggressive and these aggressive behaviors can be avoided by early neutering. A neutered male will be much better behaved.

+ The cost of spaying/neutering your pet is a lot less expensive than caring for a litter. It is also a lot more cost effective to spay/neuter than it is to pay for treatment when your unneutered pet gets into a fight.

+ Spaying/neutering your pet will not make them fat. This is an old excuse people use to not get their pet spayed/neutered. As long as you keep up your pet's exercise and don't overfeed - they will stay the same size.

+ It is good for the community to spay/neuter your pet. Don't add to the over population of pets. There are already so many strays out there. Every year millions of cats and dogs are euthanized or suffer as strays. Unplanned litters result in these high numbers and they could have easily been prevented by spaying and neutering.

+ If you think you are teaching your children a lesson on the miracle of birth by having a litter you are mistaken. Don't breed and add to the pet population when you can just go the less traumatic route and go to the library to teach your child about birth.

Here is a link for low cost spay/neuter programs across the country.

And of course a Meow Monday wouldn't be complete without pictures of my cats. Enjoy!

Jasper showing a little tongue.

Jasper and Rusty being sleepy. 

Charlie mid yawn.

Obviously they all have a case of the Mondays. I was going to harass them with more pictures but they looked like they needed to catch up on some sleep since they kept me up most of the night playing and biting my feet. It's hard being a cat.