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Since most of the foster kittens here at NOVA Cat Clinic are getting close to the age where they can get spayed and neutered, we thought it would be relevant to address some of the common myths and misconceptions regarding both spaying and neutering. Below, Ellen responds to these common questions:
Isn’t it better to let my cat have a litter of kittens before I spay her?
NOPE! That is an old wives tale. It is not better for you to allow your cat to have kittens. In fact, you are adding to the pet population problem.
My cat is a purebred – isn’t it safer to wait longer to spay or neuter them?
NOPE! One of the big reasons your breeder wants you to wait longer is to get the body conformation they have strived to achieve with the genetics of the cat. Your breed of cat does not determine safety of anesthesia nor does it determine what anesthetics are safe.
Don’t cat’s gain weight and get lazy once they are spayed/neutered?
Cats tend to get overweight after spaying and neutering simply because their metabolism slows down a bit, but the real reason is most people don’t pay attention to how much they are feeding their cat.
Will they feel like less of a male once neutered (or less of a female once spayed)?
You might, but they won’t!
It’s important for my child to witness the miracle of birth.
That’s great! There are wonderful videos you can download online. Most kids think it’s disgusting anyway. For you to put your cat through a pregnancy and birth and then raising kittens to simply get an “aww.. or yuck” is not worth it. You can get the same results from a video.
Getting my cat spayed/neutered is too expensive.
All shelters spay and neuter before adoption. If you think it is too expensive, then you may need to re-evaluate if you need a pet. Pet are a privilege, not a right.
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