Spaying Cats - Why it's a Good Idea
Newspapers, radio, and television commonly feature articles
about pet overpopulation. They stress the fact that too many puppies
and kittens are produced every year and that there just are not
enough potential owners to go around. The obvious conclusion is
that we should breed fewer dogs and cats and produce fewer litters.
The best way to ensure that this occurs is through sterilization
procedures so a larger percentage of dogs and cats are incapable
of breeding. Performing an ovariohysterectomy (spaying) female
animals is the best approach to decreasing the number of puppies
and kittens. Being veterinarians, we also know that spaying and
castrating pets are important to the average pet owner because
of the health and well being of their animals. So, although you
may spay your animals in an effort to help control a national
problem, in doing so you increase their chances of living long
healthy lives.
Having a litter of kittens may seem like a fun thing to do. Some
even believe that it helps their female cat, in some way, to develop
more completely or become a better pet. Neither is true. Becoming
pregnant and having a litter of kittens in no way alters the maturity
level of the cat, either physically or mentally. In most cases
people find out that it is hard to find good homes for all of
the kittens, even if they are advertised "Free to a Good
Home." In addition, not all pregnancies go smoothly. Difficult
labor, kitten mortality, and potential health problems in the
mother, such as uterine and mammary gland infections, can take
all the fun out of the experience. Most of the clients we have
worked with end up wishing they would never have allowed their
female to have a litter. Professional breeders are prepared and
equipped for the entire process and it should generally be left
to them.
The female reproductive tract
The reproductive tract of the female cat begins with the ovaries
where the ova (or eggs) are produced. When a female kitten is
born, every egg that will be released by her ovaries over her
lifetime is already present. The ova are, however, in an immature
form and require further development to reach a stage that can
be fertilized by sperm cells. When a cat's heat cycle starts,
hormones stimulate the maturation of some of the ova or eggs.
When the cat is bred, the ova are then released through the surface
of the ovary and pass into the oviducts. These are tiny tubes
that run between the ovaries and the horns of the uterus. It is
within the oviducts that fertilization (the union of the sperm
cell and ovum) occurs. The horns are the muscular section of the
uterus between the oviducts and the body of the uterus. In an
adult cat the horns of the uterus are about six inches long and
the diameter of a normal shoelace. When a cat is in heat, the
uterus and the blood vessels to it will enlarge. When pregnant,
this small uterus enlarges to hold several kittens. The uterus
ends at the cervix of the cat. During pregnancy, most kittens
develop within the uterine horns but one may reside within the
body of the uterus.
Birth control pills
There are birth control pills which can be used in cats, but they
can have serious unwanted side effects such as the development
of diabetes mellitus. They cannot be used for long periods of
time.
Surgical sterilization
Since birth control pills are not a viable option, as a practical
permanent form of sterilization, we are left with the surgical
procedure called spaying (medically referred to as ovariohysterectomy).
An ovariohysterectomy (OHE) is the complete removal of the female
reproductive tract. The ovaries, oviducts, uterine horns, and
body of the uterus are removed. Not only does this procedure prevent
the animal from getting pregnant but it also eliminates the heat
cycles. The surgery removes the source of production of such hormones
as estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are responsible for
stimulating and controlling heat cycles and play a major role
during pregnancy. But they also have other effects on the body
and some of them are potentially harmful.
Disadvantages of not spaying your cat
Estrus: Cats are what we call "spontaneous ovulators".
This means a cat will ovulate, or release the eggs from her ovaries
only if she is mated. If a female cat is in heat (and she'll be
in heat for 3 to 16 days), and is not mated, she will come back
into heat every 14 to 21 days until she is mated. Physiological
and behavioral patterns press upon her to mate. Being locked in
an apartment or house where this is impossible causes great anxiety
and frustration (for her, and you).
Unwanted Hormonal Effects: In humans, great efforts
are undertaken to maintain or restore hormone production in the
body if the ovaries are removed, but the same is not true for
cats. These hormones play key roles in reproduction in the cat.
However, they are also responsible for many unwanted side effects.
The natural role of every animal is to perpetuate its species
by successful reproduction. For the wild ancestors of our current
pets, breeding started when they were young. The average life
span of these animals was only three to four years. During this
brief period, hormones regulated their heat cycles to maximize
the number and viability of the offspring. These compounds regulated
the birth process so that the new kittens would be born when food
was most abundant. Because of modern care, our pets live much
longer than their ancestors. In their added years these hormones,
especially estrogen, can have unwanted or even harmful side effects.
Many of these examples are well known.
Breast cancer: Breast cancer is the third most common cancer in cats. Reproductive hormones are one of the primary causes of breast cancer in the cat. Animals that are spayed prior to one year of age may still develop mammary tumors, but the tumors are much more likely to be benign.
Tumors and infections of the reproductive tract: Tumors
also occur in the uterus and ovaries. An OHE would, of course,
eliminate any possibility of this occurring. They are not commonly
seen cancers in cats but they do occur.
Unspayed cats may develop a severe uterine disease called pyometra.
With this disorder, bacteria enter the uterus and it becomes filled
with pus. The normal 6-inch long, thin horns of the uterus enlarge
to 10 inches long and can become the diameter of a human thumb.
Undetected, this condition is almost always fatal. In rare cases,
when the condition is found early, hormonal and antibiotic therapy
may be successful. This type of therapy is limited to valuable
breeding animals. Generally the treatment of pyometra requires
a difficult and expensive ovariohysterectomy. The toxicities resulting
from the infection can strain the kidneys or heart, and in some
cases may be fatal or cause life long problems, even after the
infected uterus has been removed.
Behavior and hygienic problems: During the heat cycle
there are numerous problems to deal with. There are the behavior
problems seen in some females searching or yearning for available
males. Owners of females in heat also frequently have to deal
with a sudden influx of male cats around the home and yard. The
howling at 2 am will affect your behavior as well as your cat's.
Unspayed females may spray urine when they are heat. This can
be difficult to stop, and it is highly recommended that such cats
are spayed as part of the treatment.
Early spaying
In the United States most cats are spayed between 5 and 8 months
of age. Many humane shelters and veterinarians are starting to
spay female animals at a younger age, even at 2 months. This early
neutering does not affect the growth rate, and there are no appreciable
differences in skeletal, physical or behavioral development between
those animals neutered early than those neutered at a more traditional
age. It must be remembered that younger animals may need different
anesthetics and are more prone to hypothermia (lower than normal
body temperature) during surgery. As long as procedures are modified
to account for these differences, early spaying is very safe.
In fact, animals spayed at a younger age often have faster recoveries
than those spayed when they are older.
Summary
As can be seen from our discussion, an ovariohysterectomy eliminates
many medical and behavioral problems. In fact, in many cats, an
OHE probably adds years to their lives or at least provides them
with a more comfortable less stressful life. The OHE does its
part in pet overpopulation, but you, as the owner of an individual
cat, should also view it as a way to increase the length and quality
of your pet’s life with you.
The information on this page was obtained from the site www.peteducation.com