neutering

[micki]

we have william whos our un-neutered Tom. i keep on at zoe that we need to get him done to stop him sprayin and strayin, plus getting into fights with other Toms. This is what im told happens with un-netured toms. we had our other tom done and he left home. William isnt done and he doesnt spay or stray.hes now just over a year old. is it worth having him done?

[Jane]

Yep you should get him done Our kitty Patch is about 14 months old now and we've only just got him done but he should have been done a long time ago. Even if he's not spraying or anything he is most likely creating baby Williams (ie kittens) and there are already sooo many homeless kitties out there.

[micki]

thats a good point Jane, we are going to have him done but it seems the only reason to is to stop baby williams , will it affect his status in the outdoor feline community at all as im aware its quite complex as ive read in books.

[Jane]

Hmm..I'm not sure what you're asking really lol. It should stop him fighting so much though if he's a fighter

[micki]

ive read in a cat book that cats in the neighbourhood have specific meeting places where they often hold "cat meetings" and that rank plays some part ere. dont think william is much of a fighter,hes never come home with any wounds yet... touch wood.

[Mags]

I think this will explain to you the importance of getting William neutered as soon as possible, Micki.......... but I think the most important thing for you to realise is that the longer he is left intact the more unwanted kittens he is producing by impregnating domestic AND feral cats!

Why do we have male cats neutered? A tomcat can serve 40 female cats a year and he can smell and follow the scent of a female more than 7 miles away. A male can reach sexual maturity at a very young age (5-6 months), often before his human owner has even noticed that he has reached this stage.

Danger to unneutered males
During his trips to find females, a male cat can easily become lost, injured or be killed on a road. Lost male cats often join or form their own colonies, marking their territories by yowling, scratching and spraying, making them unwanted 'nuisances' to many people. A cat who is normally dependent on humans for food often has to resort to finding his own food – this leads to fighting and hunger and he will begin to become undernourished and battle-scarred.

Disease
One of the biggest killers of feral cats is FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), a fatal disease which is passed through biting, scratching and mating, when the bodily fluids of an infected cat enter the blood-stream of a healthy cat. It is estimated that more than half of all unneutered male cats, both feral and domestic, are carriers of FIV. This disease is very similar to the HIV virus in humans – there is no vaccine and it is, eventually, fatal, although many infected domestic cats can live happy and healthy lives with proper treatment. Neutering cats is an important tool in the prevention of the spread of FIV, as neutered cats will not spread the virus through sexual contact and are far less likely to pass it through fighting.



I would say that answers your question "Is it worth having him done?"
I would be inclined to book him in with your vet as soon as possible if you want William to remain healthy and not let him add to the very many unwanted litters of kittens that are around.

[micki]

thanx for that Jane, that made very interesting reading, esp the FIV stuff.

[Elaine]

http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=22131
There are many very good reasons to spay and neuter. FIV and FELV are on the increase due to the number of un-neutered/unspayed strays and ferals in the UK. Not only is your un-neutered Tom at risk of contracting these but could also infect un-spayed females and unborn kittens too.
Rescues are bursting at the seams with unwanted cats and kittens which breaks my heart.

[dandysmom]

Do, please, after reading the above posts, book William in to be neutered!! It's a very simple operation for boys; he'll be home the same day and will be a happier, healthier cat!!

[micki]

we will be doin, we've just had our she cats done so only william (who belongs to Puddycats on ere) and my kitten,Mr Gumbo to be done.