The cost of not neutering

SPAYING a female cat or dog and neutering a male cat or dog is a veterinary procedure to ensure the animal can no longer breed. Some people think that this is cruel and that, perhaps, the female should have one litter first.
Studies over many years have, however, proven that there are no beneficial effects on the female to have a litter. We all like to see puppies and kittens but some litters in dogs can be as large as 12, and it’s up to the owner to find loving, forever homes for all the offspring.
Welfare and rescue centres all over Ireland are overflowing with unwanted cats, dogs and rabbits. Many of them are pure-bred and cross-bred and would have cost a few hundred euro to buy as a pup.
One female cat can have between 60 and 100 kittens in her life. A male and one female and their offspring can be responsible for 11,606,077 cats in just nine years.
Unneutered cats can also spread diseases, like leukaemia and feline AIDS, and could pass it on to your own cat, through fighting and mating.
Unneutered female dogs can come into season two to three times a year and have between three and 12 puppies per litter. Six months later, these puppies are ready to have their own puppies so you do the math.
The sad reality is that there just aren’t enough homes for them all. Please don’t add to the many thousands of unwanted cats and dog being destroyed every week.
Statistics are kept for council-run pounds and some rescue centres but the true number may be two to three times that figure, if we take into consideration whole litters of puppies and kittens being killed at birth, road casualties from straying and unsold animals from puppy farms.
Spaying the female dog before her first season or heat has been shown to reduce many of the hormonal cancers, especially mammary cancer by around 200%. Although there are a small amount of females who can develop incontinence in later life, the benefits of spaying cats and dogs far outweigh the negatives. Males dogs are 50% of the problem but also benefit from neutering.
This cuts the risk of testicular and prostate cancers, as well as other hormonally-driven cancers.
Don’t be afraid your pet will get fat after the operation, which is carried out on a day-patient basis at the vets.
Neutered pets can put on weight, as they don’t need as much energy from their food, but keeping your eye on their waistline and cutting the treats back will help.
You shouldn’t see much difference in the behaviour of your pet, although it is important to bear in mind that neutering dogs to quieten them or to stop aggression can make the problem worse. Advice should be sought from your vet, who will refer you to a qualified professional behaviourist first.
In general, the earlier you spay and neuter, the better for your pet. Dogs can be done from six months to 18 months, depending on the breed, and cats and rabbits from around five months.
Preventing unwanted litters of puppies and kittens is part of responsible pet ownership, just like providing a loving home, food, shelter and proper training.
The cost of spaying and neutering is far less than vets’ bills, should they get into difficulty giving birth, getting hit by a car while looking for a mate, cancer treatments or aggression issues, to name a few problems caused by hormones.