Should I fix both or just one of my kittens?

Question

I have a male kitten and a female kitten: brother and sister (both old enough to be fixed). I was wondering if I should go ahead and get them both fixed at the same time or if it is okay to just fix one and not the other? What are the advantages of getting them both fixed if the problem can be solved by just getting one done?

Answer 1

Hi there...ideally, having them both fixed is a benefit to you and their long-term health.
Male cats who become sexually mature will:
- urine spray (marking territory)
- have a desire to roam
- become aggressive
- territorial fighting
- Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease

Female cats who become sexually mature will"
- yowl days and nights on end while in heat which can become unbearable for you and your neighbours
- have a desire to roam to become impregnated
- urine spray (marking territory) http://home.ivillage.com/pets/cats/0,,2j21,00.html
-Spaying and neutering can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat
- Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before her first estrous cycle

Neutering: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_neutering_the_male_cat.html
Spaying: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_the_feline_spay.
Benefits of spay/neuter: http://www.vospca.org/archive/spayneut.html

Answer 2

Have both of them fixed at the same time, the boys operation is a little less stressful than the girls one, so there will be no harm in doing both at the same time, and it shows you are a good and responsible owner as you are taking action to stop more kittens being born, perhaps unwanted kittens, that could be abandoned and turn feral, or even worse be killed in a nasty way by people who don't want them. I think it is beneficial to their health as well, but I am not sure how, I just remember hearing that somewhere.

Answer 3

Fix them both. It is your responsibility to stop both of them from breeding. While most will say, just fix the female, that just makes the male likely to have kittens with some other female, so do the responsible thing--take care of both of them!

Answer 4

You should get them both fixed because, male cats will spray and stink things up when they arent fixed. And the female should be for obvious reasons if she gets out or something she could come back and have kittens...

Answer 5

You have to fix both. You can't just solve things by doing one. Females will constantly yowl and be miserably when in heat. Males have a type of heat to and can be very aggressive when needing to mate. If the female is fixed and the male is not he could be very aggressive and attack the female. Not only that, males will "mark" their territory and that is something you do not want as they spray furniture and it smells worse than pee! So, please, get both done :)

Answer 6

I assume you were planning on fixing just the female. That's great, because as you know, there are more kittens than homes. BUT...
Your male kitten will develop some very disagreeable habits if he isn't fixed as well. Spraying to mark his territory is one of them, and tomcat urine smells HORRIBLE. He'll also be nervous and "yowly", wanting to go out all the time to find himslef a girlfriend. PLEASE get them both fixed; they will be much better pets for you if you do!

Answer 7

Have both fixed. It solves the problem of the male spraying, and it solves the problem of the female bleeding and catterwalling when she's in heat. Plus, males mellow out when they get fixed. When they get older they'll get along better.

Answer 8

Fix them both, healthier in the long run. Males won't spray and try to get out of the house to find a female in heat. and Females you wont hear them yowl and carry on while they are in heat, and try to escape to find a male, also they can get whats called a pyometria, an infection of the uterus which is life threatening.

Answer 9

Both. That way the female will not go into heat and have kittens, and the male will not spray and try to get out.

Answer 10

Get them both fixed. un-neutered males spray and it stinks. Female cats scream like banchees when they go in heat. It is also helpful in preventing other health issues in the future

Answer 11

Get them both fixed but if it is a financial thing get her fixed first. She can become pregnant in her first heat. She will be a happier cat if she is fixed and later you can get him done.