Should I Spay Or Neuter My Cat? - RSPCA

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1. Home
2. Advice and welfare
3. Pets
4. Cats
5. Health and welfare
6. Neutering

Health and welfare Neuter your cat

If you're getting a kitten, one of the most important things you'll need to do is take them to your vet to be neutered. This is a simple operation known as 'spaying' for female cats and 'the snip' for male cats. Here's more about why neutering is important and what's involved.

Getting your female cat spayed

To stop your female cat from having kittens, she'll need to have a simple operation known as 'spaying' at around four months old. This is also known as 'fixing', 'neutering' or 'being done'.

When your cat is about four months old, she'll start to attract the attention of tomcats, who'll want to mate with her. This is why it's important to have her spayed before she reaches four months, so she doesn't get pregnant while she's still a kitten herself.

You may have heard that it's good for female cats to have a litter of kittens before they are spayed, but this isn't true. Once she's been spayed, your kitten will be able to do all the things cats enjoy doing, like going outdoors, climbing trees and playing.

Getting your boy cat snipped

If you have a male cat, he'll need to have a simple operation called 'the snip'. This can stop him from spraying in your house to mark his territory, which can be very smelly, and getting nasty injuries from fights. He's also less likely to wander off and get run over, as cats who've been snipped tend to stay closer to home.

What's more, having your cat snipped will protect him from a nasty disease called FIV, which is the cat version of HIV. It's spread through cat bites, often between males fighting over a female. NOTE: It can't be caught by people.

What's involved in the neutering operation?

Your cat will need to be dropped off at your vet and picked up again later that same day.

The operation is very simple, and your cat will be given an anaesthetic. Once they're back home, they'll need to stay in for a short time (your vet will tell you how long), but they'll soon be fit and well again.

Help with the cost of neutering

If you receive benefits, you may be able to get some help with the cost of having your cat neutered, so contact your local RSPCA branch to find out. Other charities, such as Cats Protection, may also be able to help.

Having kittens: a study

Allowing your cat to have a litter of kittens may seem like a nice thing to do, but a study shows it can mean headaches and heartaches for many owners.

The majority – 60 per cent – of cat owners who had experienced their cat having kittens would not let them have kittens again. Almost a third (30 per cent) of all the owners who had experienced their pet having a litter of kittens said they found it harder than they imagined it would be.

Many people found giving up the kittens the most challenging thing to do, with 52 percent having difficulty in finding good homes for them. A quarter of cat owners surveyed chose to keep their kittens, but most found them homes with people they know. Sadly, 12 percent couldn’t find homes and had to rely on rescue centres to take the kittens in.

Cat owners living in Greater London are more likely to have had kittens born to a cat they own than the average cat owner (44 per cent compared to 33 per cent), as are families with children aged three to five years old (44 per cent compared to 33 per cent).

Women found it harder to say goodbye to the kittens (56 per cent compared to 32 per cent of men) and worried more about the mother cat during her pregnancy (34 per cent compared to 27 per cent of men).

Women found it harder to say goodbye to the kittens (56 per cent compared to 32 per cent of men) and worried more about the mother cat during her pregnancy (34 per cent compared to 27 per cent of men).

Find out more

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

FIV (Feline immunodeficiency virus) is a viral infection that affects cats. It causes affected animals to have a weaker immune system.

How to keep your cat healthy and happy

Being a responsible cat owner means looking after their health and welfare at all times.

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