Why You Should Desex Your Cat

In Australia and throughout the world each year, thousands of kittens are euthanased because there are more cats than homes. So what can you do to help?

Well, firstly, it is important to realise that, unlike dogs, cats breed seasonally, ie. all female cats that are old enough at the time of the breeding season, will get pregnant and produce a litter of kittens leading to ALL kittens being born at the same time of the year. Unfortunately, not everyone wants a kitten at the same time of the year, every year, so many have to be destroyed.

In Australia, the breeding season begins in Winter, around the third week in July, with the kittens being born 9 weeks later. There is also a shorter breeding season in January. You can help control the birth of unwanted kittens by desexing you cat.

Desexing, of course, prevents pregnancy and unwanted kittens. In addition, desexed cats tend to live longer and the risk of uterine infections is eliminated. Don't be fooled by the neighbours and friends who rave about how beautiful your cat is and how much they'd love a kitten. Most of the time, these people change their minds once the kittens are born, or they get a cuter, fluffier one from the person up the road!

It is heartbreaking for many cat owners to have to bring their last 2-3 kittens to the Vet Clinic for euthanasia after weeks of unsuccessfully trying to find homes for them.

Male cats, also, should be desexed. Entire (undesexed) Toms wander, fight, spray urine (often on people's front doors!) smell horrible, and they contibute to the kitten problem. They usually die before 3-4 years of age - either as a result of road accidents, kidney failure or infection from fight wounds. Many are also disposed of by irate neighbours. Unfortunately, many Tom Cat owners believe their cat is not a problem due to the fact that they hardly ever see him! Desexing will make your cat into a pet rather than a cat that disappears for days causing trouble, and only comes home for a meal.

Some shires, including our local Bunbury shire, offer discount vouchers to encourage you to desex your cat (conditions apply). We fully support this program which has been very successful in reducing the numbers of unwanted cats.

Veterinary staff do not enjoy euthanasing the results of people's carelessness. By desexing your cat, you can be sure that you will not have the unpleasant task of bringing your kittens to us to be euthanased, and we will have one less litter to dispose of.