A.S.A.P. Alonnisos Society for Animal Protection.

If your pet is not neutered, why have you hesitated? Sex for cats and dogs is not an exercise in romance, it is a hormone-driven activity which is, in effect, gang rape. A bitch or queen in season can be mated with any number of males which fight each other for the privilege. By neutering your pet you will not only reduce the number of unwanted kittens and puppies but also put an end to males fighting in the street over females in season, midnight howling, spraying in the house, menstrual bleeding and incessant barking, not to mention your dog trying to mate with your legs and furniture! SOME COMMON MYTHS ABOUT NEUTERING · It’s better for a female to have one litter before being neutered. Current veterinary opinion is that there is no medical reason to substantiate this idea. The bottom line is, what will you do with the offspring? · Un-neutered cats and dogs live longer, happier lives because they can follow their natural urges. Completely wrong – it is the neutered animals that live longer, happier lives. They don’t spray, they avoid problematic pregnancies, they stay at home away from potentially dangerous situations and are calmer and more content. · Cats and dogs suffer emotionally when they are denied the possibility of having offspring. Ridiculous! Cats and dogs do not have a distinct sexual identity, sex is a purely instinctive drive which supercedes any normal domesticated behaviour. · One less neutered cat or dog doesn’t make any difference. You only have to look at the number of offspring one dog or cat can generate to see how wrong this attitude is! · Neutered cats and dogs have a higher incidence of medical problems. The reverse is true. Neutered males avoid testicular cancer and neutered females avoid mammary gland and ovarian cancers and pyometra. Neutered animals also have fewer behavioural problems, are less likely to spray, roam and fight, and are less likely to run away from their home or territory. They look and act healthier! · Neutering is cruel. Why? Neutering is a sensible measure to prevent unwanted births, to keep animals healthier, and to prevent the abandonment and poisoning of thousands of cats and dogs. Real cruelty lies in the production of too many kittens and puppies which are then subjected to hideous fates because they are unwanted. · Neutering makes a pet fat and lazy and takes away its ability to hunt. Unfortunately, any animal can get fat and lazy but it isn’t neutering which causes this! Diet and exercise are the most important factors in the weight of an animal. Hunting is instinctive, but this skill is refined by the mother cat which shows her kittens how to stalk and kill prey efficiently. Hunting skills are much more likely to be lost because kittens in particular are taken away from their mothers too soon (and dumped, more often than not) rather than as a result of neutering. · Neutering will make your pet less protective. Again, the complete opposite is true - your pet will be more protective because it won’t be distracted by uncontrollable, hormone-induced urges. · It’s not natural to neuter animals. QUITE RIGHT! Neither is it natural to domesticate animals and thereby alter their ‘natural’ way of life, breed animals with special characteristics (often to the detriment of the health of the animal) for selfish human reasons, keep a dog chained up for its whole life or on a balcony with no hope of proper exercise, abandon unwanted animals on the streets or in rubbish bins, hunt wild animals for pleasure, or indiscriminately poison both stray and pet animals because the local population is increasing and becoming troublesome. At least neutering has a positive outcome for the health and welfare of the animal in question! WHAT DOES NEUTERING ENTAIL SURGICALLY? For females, spaying involves the removal of the uterus and ovaries. If the ovaries are not removed the animal continues to have ‘seasons’ (although she can’t conceive) and attract un-neutered males. In addition the animal is more susceptible to mammary gland tumours. For cats, especially feral animals, a flank incision is better as the incision is generally smaller and heals more quickly. More often than not, soluble stitches are used. The animal will be given antibiotics while under anaesthetic but further antibiotic treatment may be necessary, particularly for bitches. Castration of males involves the removal of both testicles: cats do not require stitches but dogs do. Animals should not be fed for 12 hours prior to surgery. An animal can be neutered at any time: as dogs and cats reach sexual maturity at roughly 6 months of age, the earlier the better!