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.

Meow Monday

Welcome to my first official Meow Monday! Each Monday I will give a little update on all three cats and also include a post on either a cat health topic or opinion post. Let me start off with a kitty update!

Rusty my gorgeous older cat has been doing really well. She will be 15 this year and has definitely taken on the mother role to Jasper and Charlie. It makes me smile because when she lived with me at my parents house their two cats there always bullied her but here she holds her own and actually has kitty friends. Jasper is just as moody as he always is but I still adore him and he cracks me up. He does have an obsession with anything plastic and it drives me crazy because I can't leave any wrappers out but I wouldn't trade him. Charlie is definitely a character and a talker. He walks around the house narrating his life. So does Jasper but not as much as Charlie. And yes, I am a crazy cat lady. These cats are my children and bring me tons of joy.

So today I wanted to write about a subject that is something of a controversy among cat owners. People are either very against it or very for it. I am completely against it and find it barbaric. If you haven't guessed I am going to be writing about declawing cats. In the United Kingdom declawing is illegal and it is also illegal in many other European countries. I honestly believe that the United States should also make it illegal but unfortunately as a society we are not educated enough on what declawing is and without that education nothing will change which is sad.

What exactly is declawing? It is not like a simple nail trim which a lot of people compare it to. In actuality the cat is having each toe amputated at the last bone. If you need a visual then think of it as having the last part of your finger cut off at the knuckle. Not pleasant right?

How is declawing surgery performed? Well really there are two most common methods. One being the scalpel method where a scalpel is used to cut through the joint. The other is the guillotine clipper method where a set of special clippers detach the joint. Then surgical glue is placed to close the sites and the paws are bandaged.

Recovery isn't always easy because it is traumatic for the cat to lose it's claws. They are programmed to scratch and protect themselves with their claws. Complications can arise as well such as pain, tissue necrosis, back pain, infection and lameness. When you remove a cat's claws it changes how the cat walks and how it's paws meet the ground which can cause pain and has been described as being similar to wearing an uncomfortable pair of shoes. A human can always take the uncomfortable shoes off and buy a more comfortable pair where as the cat is now stuck with this pain and discomfort for the rest of it's life. Not only is it a painful procedure but declawing also can cause cats to change their behavior and to act out. They may stop using the litter box and no matter what you do they won't use it anymore. Another common behavior change is cats becoming biters because they no longer have their claws for self defense so they feel extra vulnerable and become aggressive.

I believe declawing is absolutely unnecessary and that there are other measures that can be taken. So you have a cat that is scratching on furniture and you're thinking your only option is to declaw it or re-home it. Be patient and try these things instead:

- Trim your cat's nails. It is not very difficult there are even videos on YouTube to show you how. If you really can't do it yourself then take your cat to the Vet and let them do it for you.

- Try bitter smelling sprays like Keep Off to stop your cat from clawing that one spot on the couch. My cat's HATE the smell. All I do is spray it on the side of the couch and they avoid that area.

- Provide your cat with plenty of cardboard or carpeted scratching posts that you can buy at your local pet store. Also have lots of toys and spend time playing with your cat so that they don't get bored.

Declawing is another example of humans ruining a beautiful animal that is perfect the way it is. How do you feel about declawing? Winston hates it.

On a lighter note here are a couple pictures of the cats.

The kitties say have a great week!