Male Cats:
A cat reaches sexual maturity between 6 and 8 months. The urine of a sexually mature male has an excessively persistent odor to attract females. To do this, he will mark his territory by urinating on various surfaces, both indoors and outdoors. This odor is really hard to get rid of. An unsterilized male will therefore tend to run away to breed. When they run away in search of females, unsterilized cats are much more likely to injure themselves or catch various diseases, since they'll be defending their territory.
In doing so, during his interactions with other males, he'll be at risk of catching feline AIDS or feline leukemia, both serious diseases. As a result, his life expectancy is greatly reduced. Neutering stabilizes your pet's temperament and reduces the risk of aggression. We recommend sterilization at around 5 to 6 months of age.
You should also be aware that an unneutered cat can reproduce several times a day, resulting in several litters and contributing to the major problem of animal overpopulation, which in turn leads to numerous euthanasia cases.
Female Cats:
In North America, unspayed female cats are in heat almost continuously during the summer months. Spaying or stops the excessive vocalization associated with beign in heat, reduces runaways caused by the reproductive instinct and prevents unwanted litters. A fertile female cat can have 1 to 8 kittens every 2 to 3 months, representing a potential of around 30 kittens per year. The idea of having a small feline family at home can be tempting, but in the long term, finding a family for each kitten can become an arduous task, in addition to having to take care of the small family's various veterinary needs.
Also, an unspayed cat is 1000 times more likely to develop mammary gland cancer than a cat that has been spayed before her first heat, and she will also be at risk of developing ovarian or uterine disease. You should also be aware that any gestation (pregnancy) or birth (delivery) carries the risk of complications. We recommend spaying at around 5 to 6 months of age.
Surgery... yes, but...
Spay and/or neuter is a surgical procedure performed under general anesthetic. Like all surgical procedures, it is not to be taken lightly. Anesthesia requires a number of precautions to minimize the risks. For the well-being of your pets, AnimaPlus requires that a complete health examination be carried out before your cat is spayed/neutered. The veterinarian on the AnimaPlus team will check your pet's heart, take its temperature, perform an abdominal palpation, check its lymph nodes, etc., to ensure that your pet runs as little risk as possible during anesthesia. Human medicine works the same way.
What's more, at AnimaPlus, we strongly recommend a pre-anaesthetic blood test. This check-up verifies the proper functioning of the liver and kidneys, which will have to work harder than usual to metabolize and eliminate the anesthetic drugs. An examination and health check-up help to minimize anesthetic risks.