Since the risks are very low, most common answer to the question 'Should I spay or neuter my cat?,' is 'Yes.' Unless you have a purebred cat you intend on using for breeding purposes, the reasons for spaying or neutering far outweigh any grounds for not.

The reasons a person would consider whether or not to spay or neuter their cat are numerous. Perhaps the largest and most common reason to spay or neuter a cat is to prevent unwanted litters, thus, lowering the population of unwanted and stray cats.

The surgery to sterilize a female cat is called 'spaying' and involves the removal of the ovaries and uterus. It is possible to spay a female cat when she is pregnant, however, the risks in surgery become greater. In a male cat the surgery is called 'neutering', which is the removal of the testicles.

Spaying or neutering should be done shortly after your cat has reached the age of six months. This helps reduce stress on your cat and any early unwanted litters. Of course, it is generally safe to have the spaying or neutering surgery done throughout your cat's adult years.

A common reason some cat owners avoid spaying or neutering their cat is they believe that by doing so they will change the cat's personality and their cat will become overweight. With proper feeding and care, spaying and neutering will not bring about any personality or weight changes.

Other basis you may want to consider when deciding whether or not to spay your female cat, in addition to preventing unwanted or unwelcome litters of kittens, are health related. Spaying your female cat lowering the risk of mammary tumors, ovarian cancer and uterine cancer. These health benefits are particularly increased if done before your female cat enters her first heat cycle.

Some behavioral issues in female cats that can be changed or altered by spaying include no more of that noisy howling and smelly urine spraying that comes with a female cat's heat cycle. As cat owners, we can all attest to what revolves around having cat urine in the house.

Neutering your male cat will help lower the risks of him getting testicular tumors and diseases of the prostate.

Roaming is a problem that can keep your male cat away for many days at a time, and while gone he runs the risk of being harmed by non-cat lovers and other cat owners trying to prevent harm to their own cats. By having your male cat neutered, you can greatly reduce this behavior. In addition, a neutered male cat has lowered tendencies to be aggressive towards other male cats.

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Matt operates the site A Happy Cat - all about cats
http://www.ahappycat.com/