Kittens and Cats
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The Neutered Male Cat
 The
neutering of cats, castration under general anaesthetic of
males and removing the ovaries (ovariectomy) of females,
again under general anaesthetic, carries with it many
benefits for animal and owner. Toms are far less inclined to
wander off from home and get into scrapes, which can lead to
serious injury and infection, and they can't get any of the
local queens pregnant with unwanted kittens any more. Queens
don't suffer the stress associated with heat periods and the
pestering of toms and they do not continue to fill the world
with more of the aforementioned unwanted kittens.
Un-neutered queens can have three litters of kittens a year
for about twelve or thirteen years, although it is said that
one tortoiseshell had her first, and last, kitten at the
incredible age of twenty-eight. From about eight years of
age, the size of litters drops, but it can be calculated
easily that an unsupervised - let's be honest about it -
uncared-for, un-neutered queen could give birth to hundreds
of young over her lifetime. The record for kitten production
is held by a queen from (where else!) Texas, who had her
420th kitten at the age of eighteen in 1952.
Advantages of neutering
The advantages of neutering are obvious. Toms give up their
gallivanting, and their urine, so often sprayed around the
home as territorial marking, loses most of its pungent macho
odour. Queens aren't pestered by neighbourhood suitors who
have the habit of leaving their urinary calling cards on
your back doorstep. Oestrus periods, with all the restless
caterwauling and attempts to go out cat clubbing, occur no
more and, most important of all, the owner is not faced with
home-finding for handfuls of young cats or, saddest of all,
having them euthanazed.
Disadvantages of neutering
So, what are the disadvantages? Is neutering, as people
sometimes say, 'cruel'? What changes in the neutered
Thinking Cat? Neutering is certainly not cruel. The
operations are carried out under full anaesthesia, are very
safe, and are most unlikely to involve complications or be
followed by medical after-effects. As the whole purpose of
neutering, as far as the cat itself is concerned, is to
lessen stress, harassment and the incidence of illness and
injury, it is more than justified. It is most essentially
humane and its value to the cat population as a whole is
quite clear.
Some, but by no means the majority, of neutered cats tend to
put on extra weight after the operation. Most neuters
continue automatically to regulate their daily food intake,
avoiding any tendency to obesity and not needing to be put
on one of the slimming regimes now available.
Mentally, there is no doubt that the neutered Thinking Cat
becomes somewhat more of a home-loving, calm and contented
character, untroubled by the periodic swings in mood and
behaviour that are fired by the powerful urgings of the sex
hormones. Of course, its niche in the hierarchy of cat
society, particularly as a tom, plummets, certainly in the
neighbourhood, and also very often in multi-cat households.
But he or she remains as intelligent, responsive and alert
as ever. As we shall see, some males like, so it is
recorded, eunuchs in the Turkish sultans' harems, may even
retain a degree of sexual interest in the opposite sex.
It is worth noting that some cats which, instead of being
neutered, receive progestagen type contraceptive/ anti
sexual aggression medication for a long time can become
rather lethargic and over weight, and occasionally lose hair
and develop a 'pot belly'. Long-term use of this type of
drug has also been implicated in triggering cases of
diabetes, uterus inflammation and abnormality in function of
the adrenal gland. I think these compounds are perfectly
good and safe for the short term, but for a permanent effect
on the cat, spaying or castration is much to be preferred.
Source:
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