CASTRATE and STERILIZE

Breeders’ clubs made it their mission to ensure the highest possible genetic purity of the race they are breeding. However, if you do not intend to breed there comes a certain point in time when a responsible pet owner has to decide to castrate or sterilize the little angel.

 To castrate or spay means to remove the ovaries of a female or testicles of a male. Since these tissues produce hormones, this means that the levels of these hormones will drop, which will affect the animal’s behavior. Especially when it comes to straying, marking and heat.

To sterilize means to sever the tracts of germ cells, namely the fallopian tubes and the seminal duct. Various gender specific traits remain.

In general you contact your vet when the female cat is in heat for the first time or when the male cat starts to mark his territory. Early castration is a possibility as well. The animal will then be castrated at a few weeks of age. There are pros and cons which way to take but when it comes to male cats one should not go for the early castration but rather wait for the male urethra might not develop properly upon early castration which can cause all kinds of problems, first and foremost blockages of the urethra, later in life.

Not castrated individuals, above all female cats, suffer under the hormonal pressure that builds when they are not castrated or mounted. This can cause permanent heat, which then can be the cause of the animal having to be put down. It is less dramatically in male cats but the marking aside they too show distinct behavior when not castrated or sterilized, including nocturnal hyperactivity and singing. These behaviors can vary from animal to animal, even influenced by the animal’s temper and race.

 This is why we implore you to be responsible when it comes to the life of your cat and have it castrated or sterilized. Studies show, that castrated pets live longer and healthier lives, giving you more time and joy with your little fur baby and spending relatively less money on your veterinarian’s bills.