Veterinarians, SCPA, and various animal agencies are constantly stressing the advantages of spaying/neutering a pet. Which, in some cases, can be a very wise decision to make. However, from first hand experience in the negative effects, I thought this would be an appropriate thing to point out.
Samuel, ever since his castration has been a constant victim of FLUTD, which stands for Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder. It has been 6 months since the surgery, and it has ended up being agony for the animal— blocked urinary tract, bacterial infections, crystallized urine, blood in urine, not to mention the hole in our pocket. All issues that Samuel did not have prior to surgery.
It is very important to weigh out the good and the bad when it comes to neutering and spaying, and to figure out if it’s the best decision for you and your pet.
Castration, although a routine procedure for small animal veterinary surgeons, is a surgical procedure, involving a general anaesthetic. A small number of animals have problems with anaesthetics, the operation itself and with post operative haemorrhage. This can result from too much activity, dislodging one of the internal blood vessel ties. Surgical experience, good nursing help and careful supervision does reduce the risk but that risk cannot be totally eliminated.
There is a higher proportion of overweight castrated cats compared to their entire counterparts. There is no doubt that a castrated cat requires less food for a given weight and activity level. We suggest reducing the amount fed by 15-20%. It is easier to increase the food for cats who loose a little weight than to diet those who have become overweight. We encourage weight checking and weigh your cat at each annual vaccination so that fine tuning of food intake can be made.
With proper management, there is no reason for any weight gain as a result of castration.There is an increase in signs of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) which is also called Feline Urological Syndrome (FUS). In this disease, crystals form within the urinary tract causing cystitis. In extreme cases the crystals can block the narrow urethra of the male cat causing an acute medical emergency. It is thought that neutering increases the risk in that the penis and urethra is narrower than that of an entire tom and the neutered cat tends to be less active and urinates less frequently allowing longer for the crystals to form. The vast majority of FLUTD cats are treated by modification of diet and a few medicines.
Here are some primary things you should consider before dishing out the cash for your pet to be put under the knife.
1. Does your pet stay indoors?
2. Are you housing your pet with the same species, but of the opposite sex?
3. Is a possible hemorrhage worth the risk?
4. How old is your animal? (Do your homework, after certain ages, it is a possible health threat)
5. What if my animal becomes overweight? (Are you willing to go through the possible health issues of an obese pet?)
