Should I have my indoor kitten spaded? What are the effects on personality?

Question

Pro's and Con's?

*spayed Your right, thanx.

Answer 1

Yes, you most certainly should.

Neutering does NOT affect a cat's personality!!! You have a responsibility to your cat and the cat population to get this done. You can't guarantee your cat will never get outside, and if she does she is very likely to get pregnant.

You also need to do this for your cat's health, to stop her getting mammary cancer and pyometra when older. Mammary cancer is even worse in cats than it is in dogs.

Do it for your cat's health. It can be done from 5 months of age, and young cats bounce back fast, after a few days she will be back to normal.

And as a note - indoor cats still get fleas and worms, and still need vaccinating. The only things indoor cats are really safe from is rabies and feline leukaemia and FIV.

Chalice

Answer 2

The only con is that you cannot breed from it, if you wanted to do so. Hopefully you don't, as there are numerous advantages to having a cat neutered or spayed, and these are applicable of both indoor and outdoot cats.

MALES won't roam as much, lessening the risk of traffic accidents. They'll be less likely to fight and be injured, reducing the risk of catching illnesses including serious ones such as feline leukaemia and FIV. There'll be less scent marking and spraying, and no caterwauling to 'serenade' a queen in heat. For an indoor male, there'll be less chance for him to try to get out of the house all the time.

A FEMALE comes into season up to 4 times a year, each time lasting about 3 weeks. During these times, she'll howl loudly and her behaviour will change, on top of which she'll have lots of attention of caterwauling toms. She'll still look and act like a kitten when she first becomes sexually mature, and I've known people who've been caught by surprise when their little kitten became pregnant. The younger the cat, the more difficult, traumatic and problematic the pregnancy and delivery.

Once she's neutered, she'll have less chance of catching certain diseases through bites and reproductive activity. She'll have reduced risk of some illesses, such as mammary cancer. Note that a queen neutered after it has first come into heat has a 7-times greater risk of having this cancer than a cat neutered before its first one. There are no benefits at all in letting your cat have a littering before being neutered. The bare fact is that neutered cats have twice the life expectancy of unneutered ones.

On top of that, there are enough unwanted kittens in the world, many being destroyed for want of a good home. Why bring more kittens into the world? Even if you manage to find good homes for all the litter, would it not have been better not to have kittens and let the homes take unwanted cats from shelters?

We've 4 cats, all neutered males, and they are all affectionate. We've had 3 since they were kittens and we had them neutered. Their behaviour has changed for the better since the operation, and they seem more contented.

Have a look at some of the sites I've mentioned below if you're still not sure.

Answer 3

Have you heard a female cat in season? It's a really terrible noise. If you don't have her done, you can expect to go through this every now and then. They usually start calling on Christmas Eve or when you have visitors and have no opportunity to rush to the vet's. You will also have a garden full of tomcats trying to get in as well as a female cat trying to get out and they will all be yowling. And your neighbours will complain.
For these reasons and even more for all the reasons already written here - I'd discuss it with your vet and plan to have her spayed unless your vet advises against it because the cat is too young or ill in any way.

Answer 4

In my opinion--YES, you should have her spayed. PROS: (A) You won't have to tolerate a female cat being in heat--this is a biggie! (B) Even if she makes an "escape", there's no chance that she'll be coming home pregnant. (C) Spaying/neutering makes the cat a much more "mellow" and lovable animal--that constant mating instinct is gone. (D) You'll assure that your cat will not be contributing to the already over-populated cats that are loaded in all the shelters. CONS: I can't think of a single one. YOU do the math. Then, do the right thing. Have her spayed.

Answer 5

Another possible advantage of spaying an indoor cat is that some are very noisy when they are on heat - yowling like a banshee! This wouldn't occur if the animal had been neutered.
Just another point of interest - only female cats and dogs are 'spayed' to neuter them - male dogs are castrated.

Answer 6

Cons:

Your cat won't be able to have kittens.

Your cat will lose a bit of the typical "go to hell" look in it's eyes that some people seem to enjoy.

Pros:


Your cat won't be able to have kittens. That means no finding homes for them, no wandering if it is a male cat, no dealing with having literally hundreds of cats in your house within a few year period if it is a girl and you are unable to find decent people to adopt said kittens.

Your cat will have a more even temperament. Less likely to wander and will be more mellow and laid-back. It will also be more cuddly.

Your cat is less likely to "spray" around your house if it is neutered/spayed. In otherwords, urine is going to stay in the litterbox and not on your walls and furniture.

Your cat is less likely to fight with other animals entering your house.

Your cat will have a longer, happier life, and little to no risk of certain types of cancer.

Your cat will be more attached to you.

That is all I can think of at the moment, I hope that helps!

Answer 7

It's all pro's as far as i'm concerned!
If your cat comes into heat, she may well spray around the house- it's not just male cats that do this. Along with the yowling & calling, heat cycles can last a long time!
My cat was fixed and she is still mad and scatty! So while it can make your cat quieter, it won't definetely.
Also you don't have to worry about pregnancy should your kitten escape!

Answer 8

i found that with having a cat spayed she wasn't so cranky. sounds weird but true. my cat calmed right down after about a month or two, but then was back to her old playful self, just not so quick to take a swipe at me for stepping on her tail, the poor love!! other than that it had not other effects on her personality. i'm glad i did too, she went from being an indoor cat to being an outdoor cat when we moved home to a house with a garden and there are one or two toms about.

Answer 9

6 months is the appropriate age to get her spayed. be careful that she would not get out of the abode till she is 'accomplished' nevertheless. I accompanied a cat who hadn't been spayed and he or she escaped as quickly as. Suffice to assert we've 3 kittens which she gave delivery to 3 weeks in the past. she would be in a position to't be spayed now till the kittens are weaned which would be around September and the kittens are booked in to be spayed in December/January. stable good fortune with your kitten.

Answer 10

Normallly the only effects neutering or speying have on a cats personality are GOOD things..

Females:
no "going into heat" (which, trust me, WILL drive you nuts!!) More mellowness (easy-going), calm.. POSsIBLY a bit more 'lazy" but shouldn't lose her "playfulness."

Males:
No urge to "wander" No spraying it's territory (which will ruin the house!!).. more mellow, not so agressive, still playful though,

You may have to ajust the diet a bit, cuz sometimes they put on a teensy bit of weight after the surgery.