Neuter Your Male Cats!

Just in case any of you think the neutering male cats is mean and cruel, let me clue you in to the real truth.  Leaving a male feline “intact” creates problems in many directions.

Have you ever lived with a female cat in heat? Tomcats come from miles away to vie for her affections.  It doesn’t matter that she never leaves the house.  They sit by your doors, on windowsills, on fences and patios. They serenade their lady love with horrible yowls and moans at all hours of the night or day.  Male cats will drive you insane with their incessant call to their feline women in heat. When I was a child, my little gray cat went into heat before expected, and we were faced with the task of keeping her inside and avoiding the hordes of male tomcats outside our house. One of those tomcats attacked my Mother one day as she tried to walk out the front door. The neighbors complained about the noise at night outside our windows, as male cats fought with each other. As soon as it was possible, Mother took my cat to the vet to be spayed, and the male cats left to find another willing lady love.

Male cats that are not neutered tend to be more aggressive than neutered ones, especially with other male cats.  They will know if there is a female in heat and will scratch doors and walls, trying to get outside, even if the female lives far away.

Male, intact cats spray urine several times a day in numerous locations, marking their territory. Nothing in this world smells as horrible as that urine, and you cannot get rid of the odor.  Another point to consider is that cats that are not neutered are more likely to develop prostate problems as they age. Prostate cancer is more prevalent in cats that are not neutered.

Some years ago, the father of one of my son’s baseball teammates sat at our kitchen table holding my daughter’s cat.  He told me of growing up on a Tennessee farm where no one bothered with the veterinarian for small jobs.  Rather, a young male cat was stuffed, head-first, into a man’s boot.  An incision was made with a quick slice of a pocket knife to the proper spot on the animal’s testicles, and after the deed was done, the cat was “allowed” to escape from the boot.  Willard said the cat always ran away but always returned in a day or so, healed and neutered.

Fortunately, we have evolved and such surgeries are handled in a more humane manner in today’s world, because neutering is necessary to control the cat population.  The surgery is quick and safe and very often your pet can return home the same day.

Do your male kitty a favor and schedule an appointment with your veterinary professional to get your pet neutered.  He will live a much healthier life, and you’ll be doing your part to keep the cat population in check.