Michael J. Joyner, D.V.M.
East Lake Veterinary Clinic
Killeen, TX
http://www.EastLakeVet.org
Castration or neutering in the cat produces changes in habits and attitude. Early neutering reduces roaming, howling and fighting so common in the un-neutered male. Early neutering/castration eliminates the male cat's habit of marking his territory with urine by spraying the house and furnishings. Even in adult male cats where these vices are firmly established, neutering has been show to reduce fighting and urine spraying by fifty-three and seventy-eight percent respectively. Elimination of fighting greatly reduces the occurrence of abscesses, a common disease of tomcats. The neutered male cat becomes a better, healthier pet, free of the strong tomcat odor and is less likely to be a nuisance to your neighbors.
Some people object to neutering on the grounds that it is “unnatural” to deprive the animal of its sex life. The humanization is unsound thinking because neutering takes way the desire to roam, fight, and mate. What the cat does not desire, he does not miss.
The surgery is performed under short-acting general anesthetic aseptically and thus painless. An antibiotic is used to reduce the risk of infection.
The proper age for this surgery is between seven to nine months. It is highly recommended that a cat be neutered before he is a year old.
