Neuter/Spay = bad?

For this though, ask him if it is inhumane to remove a woman's overies or a man's testicles when they have health issues? It happens often to many, many human beings. With pets, we have the opportunity to make sure they never get the cancers like humans do. Sebastian's neuter left him with his "package" so if he ever runs into another male cat who looks at his rump, he won't have to be emabarrassed.

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I read on a site that spaying/neutering a cat can STILL give it cancer and UTI and weird problems, I posted the paragraph here. But sigh, I dont know lol.

Originally Posted by wookie130

Well, marriage is a two-way street. Since you disagree with his logic, what would be the harm in just scheduling their spay and neuter appointments, and just doing it? Do you think anything really icky would result from just going ahead and doing it, or do you feel it would be better to wait until you both reach some kind of agreement? I dunno...I know what I would do, though.

I know that if my husband tried to over-intellectualize this whole thing with me, I'd simply say, "There's more reasons any day to do this, then there are reasons not to, no matter what way you try to look at it. We NEED to go ahead and make appointments to get these cats fixed. If you disagree, let's visit our local animal shelter...and I guarantee that staring behind 60 enclosures, you'll see 60 reasons why we SHOULD be spaying and neutering."

See where that gets you...

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I don't advise anyone to go against their spouse's wishes without both of you first educating yourselves on the benefits of spaying/neutering and even then I'm not the type of person that would throw my marriage away because we didn't agree on spay/neuter. I would be more inclined to try to work with him on it and get him as much medical/ professional knowledge as possible so that he would realize that he is very likely projecting his own feelings onto the cat. My BIL was very much like that when they got their mini dachshund but my SIL, who is a nurse, finally made him realize it was better for the dog.

Originally Posted by Roimata

Yeah....it makes them calmer......so it DOES affect their natural personality and such..sigh, I cant persuade him lol he is too much into the best interest of the cat. He thinks its inhumane to remove a cats testicals and uterus.

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I do believe it makes them calmer because they don't have that urge to try to get out to mate no matter what. Unneutered males are often aggressive and neutering calms that aggression which is not hurting the cat at all in my opinion.

As for the inhumane part of removing the testicals and uterus, does he prefer to have to have emergency surgery to remove either because they have developed cancer and maybe the vet surgeon will get it all or maybe they won't?

Your hubby really needs to get some information so that he can make the best choice for your cat(s) - that is to neuter.

I think everyone here has stated why an animal should be neutered/spayed.

I personally have had my four cats fixed from when they were only 2 months.

All of them are adults now, and there is nothing wrong with them. If there was I can't tell. They are happy, playful, loving, curious, annoying and sleepy just like any other cat.


Now with that, the only thing unnatural about not having your pet fixed is the high fatality rate going on at shelters right now as we speak.

It is not natural for one shelter to have to euthanize 100 animals in one day to make room for the 100 more that will come in the next. This includes kittens. That's why they call it kitten season. I am now witness to this visual everyday.

Nothing is worse than seeing a pile of dead animals and their only crime in thise world is that people don't neuter/spay their animals.

I would like to add that if it's such a debate in the house, go to a shelter adopt a already fixed pet and then there is no need to make the decision. It's already been done for you.

Originally Posted by Siggav

Ok first of all spaying and neutering, while completely routine for vets and experienced cat owners is rather scary. Especially spaying for women and neutering for men because we can't help but identify with our cats.

However the way I see it, first of all our cats are pets, not wild animals out in nature. Yes their unaltered natural behaviour is to go out and mate and really in all animal species on a wider scale it doesn't matter what happens after offspring has been born. I.e the genes are passed on. Later cancers and or STD etc. fights and illness doesn't matter. So their "natural" behaviour doesn't take any of that into account.

What spaying and neutering does is that it doesn't just treat the symptoms so to speak it removes the urge to breed entirely from the animal. That's why declawing is completely different for example. First of all there are no health advantages to declawing and it doesn't remove the urge to scratch or climb from cats.

Anyway the urge to breed being gone means a much happier pet and human owner. Because the cat doesn't now deal with the stress of constantly thwarted attempts to get out and attract mates (or repeated pregancies for the female cats or fights and infections for male cats).

So yeah the natural life of most wild creatures are nasty, dangerious, brutish and short. We don't want that for our cats and neutering and spaying is a part of making their lives as pets better.

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Well said! In the wild (nature) if they are lucky, cats will live to see the age of 4. Pet cats - domesticated - live much longer if properly cared for.

Domesticated cats are not wild cats, period. We are responsible for their care and that care means doing all we can to give them a quality life.

If we leave them all natural, we would not vaccinate, spay/neuter, keep safe from predators - well, we just wouldn't even bring them indoors.

Please ask your man to volunteer a weekend or two a month at a local shelter or emergency vet clinic. Experience is the best teacher. Please do look at the Humane Society link, has more accurate information then Wikipedia

He said he doesnt mind if the cat cant get pregnant...but he doesnt like how it REMOVES the uterus/testicals. I dont know if there is any other way. I know there is vascetomys for males, but he can still mate and be agressive which I dont like, and my husband doesnt seem to mind. He doesnt like the thought of removing something your born with.

Yes - it does change their personality - it makes them the sort of cat you would want in your house...

If you adopt from a shelter - or if you want to adopt a Bengal or other purebred, they will already be spayed.

And what do you mean you don't even have cats??? You've posted pics of your cat Skye, and posted threads about your cats such as this one...

Gah not sure if this belongs in Health & Nutrition or Behavior.....but whatever. My cats get fed regular people tuna from cans (which I recently heard is bad), they wont eat regular cat food, but they also eat dry cat food. One of my cats sometimes gets loose outside and starts eating grass for some reason....then comes in the house and hacks it all up. Does this happen with anyone else?

Btw my other cat doesnt do this.

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Originally Posted by sarahp

Yes - it does change their personality - it makes them the sort of cat you would want in your house...

If you adopt from a shelter - or if you want to adopt a Bengal or other purebred, they will already be spayed.

And what do you mean you don't even have cats??? You've posted pics of your cat Skye, and posted threads about your cats such as this one...

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I looked & I thought you had 2 female cats?

I think your husband might need to read up for himself and realize that its the the best thing to do for your cats.

Good luck!

Haha sorry, I have 2 cats. But thats because I live at my parents house. I just graduated. (He's auctually my fiance, but I call him husband all the time, I switch off lol) I get to move in with him in July.

and yes, we are both looking up things, but its only making his opinion stronger about it.

Originally Posted by Breal76

Nothing is worse than seeing a pile of dead animals and their only crime in thise world is that people don't neuter/spay their animals.

I would like to add that if it's such a debate in the house, go to a shelter adopt a already fixed pet and then there is no need to make the decision. It's already been done for you.

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Great advice!

The thought of all the dead animals who come from unspayed and unneutered cats is all it would take to convince me. to you.

Thats a good idea, too get one thats already fixed...its foolish of me to not have already thought of that. Perhaps that would work, i'd have to ask him.

Originally Posted by Roimata

He said he doesnt mind if the cat cant get pregnant...but he doesnt like how it REMOVES the uterus/testicals. I dont know if there is any other way. I know there is vascetomys for males, but he can still mate and be agressive which I dont like, and my husband doesnt seem to mind. He doesnt like the thought of removing something your born with.

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Does he know about spraying? Perhaps he's ok living w/ an aggressive cat but is he ok waking up in the middle of the night because the aggressive cat is attacking him or living w/ the smell of a male cat scent marking?!

Also, you say that everything he's reading is only increasing his opinion... is he looking at reputable sources? You can find information to back just about any opinion but that doesn't mean it true or accurate!

He just feels bad for the cats, because they are unnaturally being removed of whats theirs. I understand what he means but I disagree with it. He knows about spraying, he says he doesnt care...but im sure he would LOL. Hes never had a pet before, I have. Im sure I can change his opinion. Hes already said "you know more about pets than I do, so its your decision".

Originally Posted by Roimata

He said he doesnt mind if the cat cant get pregnant...but he doesnt like how it REMOVES the uterus/testicals. I dont know if there is any other way. I know there is vascetomys for males, but he can still mate and be agressive which I dont like, and my husband doesnt seem to mind. He doesnt like the thought of removing something your born with.

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This could be the idealism of youth. I don't mean that in a bad way, I am still too idealistic for some people's taste.

Please, go volunteer at your local shelter - really, it will be eye-opening. They like volunteers!

You sound like a strong young woman who would understand the need for spay/neuter. It is about loving and caring for animals. It has nothing to do with owner's convenience. The sleepless nights I have spent over Daphne lately are not at all convenient for me. Sometimes the easiest thing to do would be to bury our heads in the sand. It doesn't work.

Originally Posted by Roimata

He just feels bad for the cats, because they are unnaturally being removed of whats theirs. I understand what he means but I disagree with it. He knows about spraying, he says he doesnt care...but im sure he would LOL. Hes never had a pet before, I have. Im sure I can change his opinion. Hes already said "you know more about pets than I do, so its your decision".

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He doesn't care about spraying? Has he ever been around a cat thats sprayed before? Its impossible to remove the smell; and you would have to basically get rid of whatever the cat sprayed on.
Its cheaper in the long run to get your cat spayed/neutered.

Originally Posted by babyharley

He doesn't care about spraying? Has he ever been around a cat thats sprayed before? Its impossible to remove the smell; and you would have to basically get rid of whatever the cat sprayed on.
Its cheaper in the long run to get your cat spayed/neutered.

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lol I know, like I said, he SAYS he doesnt care, but im sure he would if he experienced it.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I don't advise anyone to go against their spouse's wishes without both of you first educating yourselves on the benefits of spaying/neutering and even then I'm not the type of person that would throw my marriage away because we didn't agree on spay/neuter. I would be more inclined to try to work with him on it and get him as much medical/ professional knowledge as possible so that he would realize that he is very likely projecting his own feelings onto the cat. My BIL was very much like that when they got their mini dachshund but my SIL, who is a nurse, finally made him realize it was better for the dog.

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I absolutely agree...I don't want you to do anything that will throw a major wrench in your marriage or engagement!!! However, I know myself well enough that in this type of debate, that I'd probably have the animals fixed, and pay later, but that's just me. But, I'm a rebel.

But Yosemite is right!!! Disregard the above advice!!! Bad idea!!!!!!! Bad!!!!

But, since I now know that you're looking into GETTING kitties, and you don't have them yet, I would definitely adopt an already-altered shelter kitty. Really, that's a win-win situation. These cats desparately need forever homes, and they have a lot of the hard work done for you...AND, you don't really have to wonder what their personality was before the spay/neuter operation, because it doesn't matter. What does matter, is that you'll be saving a life, not contributing to the pet over-population problem, and the pet will already be altered. And, you'll bring your kitty home, not having to worry about all of the behavioral and hormonal difficulties you'd have with an intact male or female. You'll basically have a great companion that is ready to settle into his/her new family! It's a great compromise for everyone, the way I see it!

Hey, kudos to Breal76 for suggesting this!

Originally Posted by twstychik

The bit about neutered pets getting fat IMO has nothing to do with t e surgery and everything to do w/ lazy ownership. If you feed your cat all the time and don't keep it active of course it's going to get fat.

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Exactly! Spike -- who is neutered and has been since he was old enough to do it -- couldn't get fat if he tried. He's simply too incredibly active!

The only instance -- that I know of -- where cats get fat without it being due to them being overfed and underexercised is the case of thyroid problems, which is a condition that is very easy to treat and is quite common to older cats. (My parents' elderly kitty suffers from thyroid problems, and according to their vet, as far as "older cat problems" go, thyroid problems are amongst the easiest to take care of.)

I suppose I couldn't really say if Spike or Oz have suffered personality changes as a result of their neutering -- both cats were neutered before we had them, and Spike was still a very young kitten. I wouldn't change either of them for the world (okay, I'd maybe make Spike a little less exhuberant, but then he wouldn't really be Spike ...).

Spaying and neutering isn't a "convenience" thing. It's a "responsible owner" thing.

Originally Posted by babyharley

He doesn't care about spraying? Has he ever been around a cat thats sprayed before? Its impossible to remove the smell; and you would have to basically get rid of whatever the cat sprayed on.
Its cheaper in the long run to get your cat spayed/neutered.

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One intact male can literally DESTROY and completely depreciate the value of a home through spraying behavior. Literally NO ONE will purchase a home that reeks of cat urine...and once spraying starts, it is VERY hard to eradicate.

The first time he lays his head down on a pillow that's been annointed in cat urine, he will totally care, no doubt about it. Spraying, sadly, is one of the top reasons why cats end up in shelters to begin with...because the owner never bothered getting the cat fixed, the cat started to mark it's territory, and off to the shelter it goes...how many rescue/foster parents/shelter workers here have heard the old "He won't stop peeing on my__________?" excuse when the cat comes into intake at their facility? Sad, and extremely preventable in most cases.

Originally Posted by wookie130

But, since I now know that you're looking into GETTING kitties, and you don't have them yet, I would definitely adopt an already-altered shelter kitty. Really, that's a win-win situation. These cats desparately need forever homes, and they have a lot of the hard work done for you...AND, you don't really have to wonder what their personality was before the spay/neuter operation, because it doesn't matter. What does matter, is that you'll be saving a life, not contributing to the pet over-population problem, and the pet will already be altered. And, you'll bring your kitty home, not having to worry about all of the behavioral and hormonal difficulties you'd have with an intact male or female. You'll basically have a great companion that is ready to settle into his/her new family! It's a great compromise for everyone, the way I see it!

Hey, kudos to Breal76 for suggesting this!

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Thats good advice and i'd love to take that option.

Spaying and neutering prevents cats and dogs from getting mammary gland cancers and tesostrone cancer and it makes them live happier and healthy lives and they don't know when they are fixed, it helps them immensely.

vets here will do pediatric spay and neuter for cats and dogs depending on their health and their weight and usually most vets do a physical exam and some do blood work before altering the animals to make sure everything is okay. if they throw up that is so very normal because of the anestetics and if they howl or meow loudly it's normal and it's from the anestetics and their incision site is good, too you have to make sure their gums are good and that they are breathing okay.

I have volunteered at so many spay and neuter clinics and haven't seen anything really bad and PLUS spaying and neutering your dogs and cats helps with the pet overpopulation problem. I have seen a dog that we adopted out have mammary gland cancer because her "owners" waited too long too spay her and she was 9 months when we spayed her. so spaying early prevents those kinda things. she is doing wonderfully now.

plus if you adopt from a shelter or rescue most of them will alter their animals before adopting them out. at the shelter where I volunteer we never adopt out animals that are intact they all are spayed and neutered before we adopt them out. also it's the law if you adopt an animal from a sheleter, pound, or rescue they have to be altered before leaving. not all shelters abide by that unfortunately but we do.