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If you are an indoor-only cat owner and you only have one cat (or one gender of cat) in your home, you may be tempted to skip the neutering or spaying of your fur baby. If your cat(s) live only in the house, and there’s no danger of pregnancy inside your house, why should you do it?
Three Reasons To Spay/Neuter Your Indoor Cat
#1. Life is Unpredictable
Just because you plan to keep your cats inside doesn’t mean THEY won’t get OTHER ideas at some point in their lifetime. Your cat may decide to dash outside one day when you least expect it. A friend or neighbor might leave the door open, not realizing you have an indoor-only baby poised for an adventure. An open window and a moment of boredom may lead your pet on an unexpected outdoor jaunt.
If that happens without your cat being “fixed” you could be facing roaming issues, which may include your baby not returning home at all. If they do come home, they may come home pregnant, or may come home only after impregnating another cat. Spay/Neuter your indoor cat just in case.
#2 Do It For Their Health
Spaying and neutering will improve your cat’s health, reduce the risk of health problems, and should be done as early as possible. Spaying/Neutering early will:
- Decrease the risk of mammary carcinoma
- Prevent diseases of the uterus, ovaries and testes
Having the operation when young means:
- Shorter operation time (less time under anesthesia)
- Better intra-abdominal visualization for the surgeon
- Faster recovery period for your pet
#3 Do it For Your Sanity (and Their Longevity!)
Many cats are surrendered each year for behavioral issues. (Issues which may have been avoided with timely spaying/neutering practices.) Spaying and neutering early can prevent the following behaviors:
- Excessive vocalization
- Urine marking
- Roaming
- Unwanted pregnancies
If you have questions or concerns about spaying or neutering your cat, contact us, we will be happy to discuss all your options with you.
8 Comments
Our male cat is nearly 2 years old. We have made an appointment in April to neuter him.
It is our wish for ‘Willie” to live indoors – but as your information points out – that is not
always a guarantee. He has a lovely disposition – ‘talks a lot’ , perhaps they are cries for
something ….? frisky during the night.
‘Willie’ is he first cat in my life (at 79). What should we expect, as far as recovery; wished
we had the surgery done sooner.
I will be grateful to get your support.
You have definitely made the correct decision to neuter Willie. There are so many kittens and cats that do not have homes and by neutering you are helping to control this overpopulation. In addition, neutering will help protect Willie from various cancers and help with unwanted behaviors such as territory marking and the desire to roam in order to breed.
The recovery from this type of surgery is generally fairly easy for male cats. They should be kept in a clean, indoor environment and try to minimize their activity for the first week after the surgery. They should not be licking the surgery site. Our patients receive pain medication before surgery so they are not uncomfortable when they wake up and they also go home with pain medication to keep them comfortable after surgery.
As an AAHA accredited animal hospital you can be assured that if you choose our hospital for Willie’s care he will receive the best possible veterinary care. Our doctors and staff would certainly be happy to address any further questions or concerns you might have. Please give us a call at either of our locations.
Our Danville office can be reached at 859-238-2201 and our Lancaster office number is 859-792-2105. Thank you for your inquiry and please know that we are always happy to help. Thank you for visiting our website!
my Chancy( male cat) is 8 mounts now and all my friends tell me to neuter him. i m living in apartment and his stay at home.
i am confused now please tell me which way is the best for my Chancy, SHOULD I neuter him or let him live naturally?
You should definitely neuter him. It will make him a better pet and it will reduce his urge to roam and breed. It will reduce unwanted behavior — such as marking territory and spraying. It helps reduce the chance of cancer and, should he ever escape, he won’t be able to contribute to the unwanted kitten population. There’s never a reason not to neuter a cat. It’s a safe and common procedure and Chancy will recover quickly. Should you have any additional questions, please give us a call!
We adopted two precious female kittens we found as stray in the neighborhood. We didn’t expect these lovely additions to our home and have struggled under the weight of their vaccinations and repeated vet trips due to respiratory illness. We definitely will have them spayed but are not able to financially at the moment. They’re approaching 6 months so I know will go into heat fairly soon. How bad will this be? We have 2 other female cats (spayed) and a dog. Will unspayed female cats spray urine??
Yes. An unspayed female cat will spray urine to mark territory. Once an unspayed female goes into heat she will be constantly looking to breed and will continue to cycle until she is bred. They are often very vocal in calling for a male cat. You definitely want to spay your kittens as soon as possible. We offer Wellness Plans that include a spay option that allows you to spread the cost over low monthly payments.
I have a 1 1/2 year old cat (Ash) whose never been outside and hasn’t sprayed yet. I think it is a little cruel to neuter him because he hasn’t shown any of your listed signs or points, any advice on what to do from here (im open to suggestions)?
Ash sounds like a wonderful boy. I have many cats and I can tell you, just because he hasn’t “sprayed” yet doesn’t mean he won’t. It’s much harder to deter once it starts. There have been many cats that were “re-homed” or given up for adoption because of a behavioral issue. That’s actually the number one reason for adult cats ending up in a shelter. That being said, full disclosure…even if Ash is neutered, it’s not a guarantee he won’t start spraying/marking if he feels territorial (speaking from personal experience).
Neutering does substantially decrease the likelihood of that happening. If other cats happen to come around (even outside), he may be provoked and occasionally cats may even become aggressively territorial which is more pronounced in intact male cats.
On a much more important note from a medical standpoint, neutering decreases and/or eliminates the risk of reproductive cancer in the future so it is much better for Ash’s health. At his age, he is no longer growing so it won’t impact his development in any way. Neutering is not cruel, it’s healthier. Regarding postoperative pain, we are very attentive to pain control and often use multi-modal pain management treatments.
Neutering is a relatively short mildly invasive procedure (ie: you don’t have to open the abdomen for a neuter) so while pain can occur, it is on the milder side as compared to more invasive surgeries and has a very short period of discomfort. Most male cats return to normal activity very shortly after the procedure (often within 24-48 hours). I have many cats, they are all spayed/neutered and they all live long and healthy lives.
Thank you for reaching out with your concerns and questions.
Darren Taul, DVM