If you look at our Facebook pages regularly, you will frequently find pictures of unwanted cats and kittens looking for kind and caring homes.
Heartbreakingly, a box of five kittens was found dumped on the riverside recently, with their mum keeping a close distance trying to keep them safe. A passing dog walker found them and brought them all to the surgery, not knowing what else to do.
At this time of year, the surge in abandoned cats and kittens reaches its peak as the cat breeding season comes into force. And it happens all over again in the spring. A female cat (queen) in season will attract many toms from up to a mile away, which fight and compete for her affections. Not that she is very choosy and can mate with two or three different males a night. A litter of kittens may have several fathers. So what can be done?
Neutering tom cats is a simple process. The operation only lasts a few minutes and not only have you prevented his nightly love fests, but you also have a cat that is less likely to fight for territory and end up with scars and abscesses. It is also a blessing for those people whose lives have been blighted by an entire tom creeping through the cat flap and spraying in the house – the smell is atrocious.
The operation to neuter queens is more involved than that for toms but it still is a fairly short one, and they usually recover within 24 hours of it. Most responsible owners prefer to keep their queens indoors until they are neutered as they can become pregnant from four months of age and it’s too much of a risk to let them out. They can also become pregnant to their brothers or fathers – cats really have no morals – so don’t be fooled.
Both operations are reasonably cheap and, to be honest, a no brainer.
What about the case for neutering dogs and bitches, after all they are more under the control of their owners.
If we look at bitches first, one of the main reasons for neutering is unwanted pregnancies. Bitches can and do have accidental matings. You thought she was safe in the garden but that sneaky little dog from up the road found a gap in the fence and Bob’s your uncle (or Rover’s the dad!). Not only do you have to give a lot of time and energy to look after her and her pups, there may be unplanned veterinary bills – even the healthiest bitch could need an emergency caesarean, and you need to find appropriate owners for the pups.
But there are also health reasons for neutering bitches. If done before the second or third season (heat) the risk of mammary cancers is reduced to less that eight per cent. Compare this to the 25 per cent of entire bitches developing mammary cancer. Removal of the womb and ovaries at spaying also removes the risk of a life threatening infection of the womb known as a pyometra. The womb fills with pus and your dog becomes extremely sick.
Usually treatment is an emergency spay which carries a great deal of risk. Less serious, but still with complications, are false pregnancies. This is when your bitch is fooled by her hormones into thinking she’s had pups and she can produce milk and mother her teddies – or your socks.
However, spaying a bitch is major surgery and, although done routinely, it is not without risks.
Spaying can also make your bitch prone to obesity but only if you do not control the feeding regime afterwards – your dog only eats what you give it remember.
It is also time to bury the myth that bitches and queens need a litter – it makes absolutely no difference to them at all.
Dogs too have health benefits in being neutered, reducing the risks of testicular cancer and prostate disease. Most owners have their dogs neutered to change their behaviour but as a rule of thumb it’s best done before two years of age. It may reduce levels of aggression and dominance, and it will reduce unwanted sexual behaviour by dogs. They are less likely to run after females in season and of course, they can’t get a bitch pregnant.
There are pros and cons for each, and a discussion with your vet will help you decide which is best for you and your pet.
The vets from Alder Veterinary Practice, Bourne Road, Spalding, talk pets and answer your animal-related
questions in this new Voice column. To ask the vets a question, send an email with Alder Vets as the subject line to [email protected]
Alder Veterinary Practice, 58 Bourne Road, Spalding, PE11 1JW. Call 01775 766646. Opening hours 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 10am alternate Saturdays. 24 hour emergency cover.
