This is a question and a concern for most pet owners. Should we spay and neuter our cats and dogs? Is it an inhumane act? Does it affect their health?
petncute.com would like to affirm that we should spay and neuter our cats and dogs, and this is a humane action, good for the pets themselves, good for the owners, and good for the community. Why is that so? Let's go through the following 6 reasons with petncute.com!
1. Spaying and neutering help dogs and cats be healthier and live longer
First of all, spaying and neutering bring basic and direct benefits to your pets.
Spaying female dogs and cats before their first heat cycle (i.e., before they reach sexual maturity) significantly reduces the risk of developing breast cancer and completely eliminates the threat of uterine, ovarian, and uterine infections, which often occur in unspayed female pets. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast tumors, which are malignant in about 50% of dogs and 90% of cats.
Neutering male dogs or cats helps prevent testicular tumors and can prevent prostate problems. Neutering also reduces the likelihood of perianal tumors and inguinal hernias, which are common in older unneutered dogs. Neutered male cats are less likely to roam, which greatly reduces their fights and bites with outside cats, avoiding abscesses from bites and infectious diseases due to fighting.
Thus, spaying and neutering improve health, prevent many dangerous diseases, and help dogs and cats live longer.
Spaying makes cats prefer staying home over going out
2. Dogs and cats become more obedient and manageable after being spayed or neutered
Male dogs or cats are less aggressive compared to other males after being neutered and are not distracted by females in heat, making them more obedient and manageable. Neutered male dogs and cats will not try to escape from home to find a mate, avoiding dangers such as car accidents, being kidnapped... They also abandon the habit of marking territory with urine.
Spaying female dogs or cats eliminates the problem of male animals coming to your yard and creating disturbances. Female dogs and cats after being spayed reduce their desire to roam in search of a mate and reproduce.
Dogs become more obedient and manageable after neutering
3. Owners will not have to deal with unwanted pregnancies of their pets
You will no longer have to worry and deal with caring for pregnant dogs and cats, unwanted litters, and the subsequent consequences.
Taking care of a litter of puppies or kittens is not easy, especially when it's unexpected.
4. Spaying helps maintain cleanliness for both the female dog and your home
Due to the heat cycle, female dogs will bleed for about ten days, twice a year. Therefore, owners need to regularly pay attention and keep the home clean to avoid stains on carpets or floors. Spaying eliminates this issue.
5. Spaying helps the community resolve the issue of exploding dog and cat populations
According to The Nest, cats can get pregnant up to 5 times a year, each time giving birth to 1 to 6 kittens. According to Shelley Drive Animal Clinic, dogs can get pregnant 2 to 3 times a year, and each time they can have 1 to 12 puppies. Thus, if we do not spay or neuter, the population of dogs and cats could increase exponentially, causing an explosion in numbers, loss of control over the species, and this is extremely dangerous. The explosion in numbers not only prevents us from being able to properly care for all the puppies and kittens, but also creates stray dogs and cats, which may have to live in poor, unsanitary conditions or be "killers" that harm other wildlife. The New York Times once reported on more than 60 animal species in Australia being at risk of extinction due to the explosion of feral cat populations, prompting Australian authorities to make the controversial decision to find ways to eliminate 2 million feral cats. If we do not want our pet friends, especially cats, to live miserably or be killed for harming the environment and other species, we should control the number of dogs and cats ourselves, starting simply with spaying and neutering them. If you truly understand, you will see that spaying and neutering is a humane measure to protect dogs and cats.
Dear friends, if we truly love our four-legged friends, please do not let them have unwanted litters, because we will not be able to control this population explosion, leading to many consequences afterward. Unwanted litters will not be well cared for, live miserably, or be destroyed, which is much worse than not being born at all.
6. Spaying and neutering are humane methods of caring for dogs and cats
According to veterinarians and animal rights activists, spaying and neutering are humane methods of caring for dogs and cats. Currently, methods for spaying and neutering dogs and cats are very modern, veterinarians will administer anesthesia before surgery and perform cosmetic sutures, so the wounds will be very small (only about 1-2 cm) and will heal after about three days, and they can recover their health in a week. Moreover, veterinarians also offer post-operative services, care, and provide antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs for dogs and cats after surgery.
Conclusion
From the reasons stated above, petncute.com hopes you understand that spaying and neutering is a humane act that benefits not only the pets themselves but also the owners and the community. Therefore, do not hesitate to spay or neuter your pets!