Are you aware of your responsibilities being a dog’s or cat’s owner? There is so much more when petting a dog or cat than feeding or bathing them on time or taking them for vaccinations. It would help if you kept observing their behavioral changes and their reactions to different situations. If you have not owned them for breeding purposes, you must get them neutered or spayed when the right time arrives!
Spaying and neutering your dogs and cats are essential tasks that you must get done as soon as possible. Ignoring and delaying these procedures do not prove healthy for your pets. This article briefs you on neutering/spaying, their benefits, importance, and the right age to have your pets undergo the procedures. Besides, you will also get to know if spaying or neutering calms down your pets.
What is neutering/spaying?
If you own a male dog or a male cat, there comes a time in their lives when they have to go through neutering. This surgical operation involves putting them under general anesthesia and removal of their testicles and prostate. Neutering makes your male dog/cat sterilized, so they lose their ability to reproduce. The operation takes a few minutes, and you can take your pet back home on the same day.
On the contrary, if you own a female dog or a female cat, spaying is their operation. Spaying involves the removal of the uterus following general anesthesia. The process takes about 90 minutes and is more painful and complex as compared to neutering. Besides, your female cat/dog might need to stay at the hospital following the operation so that the vet observes their condition.
Overall, both neutering and spaying are critically important. You can wait for a few months until the genitals of your pets fully develop and then take them for neutering and spaying, depending on their genders. Moreover, both spaying and neutering possess positive and negative aspects, which we will discuss later.
Check out our articles to find the cost for Spaying and neutering
Advantages of neutering
Let’s have a light on the advantages/benefits of getting your male dog/cats neutered;
Infertility prevents abandonment of puppies and kittens
One of the most crucial benefits of neutering is cutting off the ability of your male dogs/cats to reproduce. It might sound harsh, but it is what the community needs. If you cannot take the responsibility of the newborn puppies and kittens due to high-cost vaccinations, feeds, etc., you must get your adult male dogs/cats for neutering.
If you keep letting your male dogs/cats reproduce, you will see several puppies and kittens being homeless and abandoned because, understandably, you cannot bear their expenses. Therefore, it is your uttermost responsibility when you notice the full development of your pet’s genitals, and please take them for neutering.
Your male dog/cat becomes calmer
As long as you have not taken your male dog/cat for neutering, the testosterone levels keep fluctuating. If it is unable to meet the sexual needs, you will observe highly aggressive and assertive behavior. The outrageous behavior of dogs and cats is due to their sexual demands, and neutering makes them calmer than before by decreasing their sex hormones levels.
Your pet becomes neat and clean
Before your male dog/cat becomes neutered, you might observe that they develop the tendency to urinate frequently and that too anywhere. Besides, your pets release their sexual discharges anywhere. Understandably, it is gross to keep cleaning their urine and discharges from your furniture and carpets all the time. Neutering eliminates these issues as well.
Overall healthier lifestyle
Medical studies suggest that neutering prevents the occurrence of testicular and prostate cancers in your dogs. Since mainly these cancers occur due to high testosterone levels, neutering cuts all the sex hormone-producing sources and therefore guarantees a healthier lifestyle to your pet.
Disadvantages of neutering
Weight gain
Since your male dog/cat will no longer be roaming around the streets in search of a mate, therefore, they might gain weight sitting idle at home.
Infertility for the rest of their lives
If you have owned a male dog/cat for breeding, you must not get them neutered. Once you have got your dog neutered, there is no going back!
Advantages of spaying
Like neutering, spaying your female dogs/cats also holds the same importance. Let’s have a look at its benefits;
No pregnancy and consequent homelessness of newborns
By getting your female dog/cat spayed, you play a huge role in preventing the pet’s overpopulation issues. Not getting them spayed will bring more kittens and puppies, and you will feel burdened to bear their expenses.
Reduced risk of cancers
Since spaying involves cutting the sources that produce sex hormones, it reduces ovarian, uterine, and breast cancers. Female cats/dogs which do not undergo spaying frequently develop genital cancers which become life-threatening.
Your cat/dog becomes calmer
As mentioned earlier, the fluctuating sex hormones before you get your pet spayed result in aggressive behavior, involvement in irrational fights with other animals and humans. Besides, their sexual outrage leaves them wandering in the streets in search of a mate.
However, once you get your pet spayed, it becomes calmer than before and more affectionate towards you.
Disadvantages of spaying
Inability to breed ever
If you wish your female cat/dog to breed, then you must not consider getting it spayed ever. The surgical procedure is not temporary but permanent, and once you have consented to the vet to remove your pet’s reproductive organs, nobody can help reverse the process.
Weight gain
Similar to neutering, spaying also predisposes your female cat/dog to increased weight. In addition, after going through spaying, your dog’s/cat’s sexual desire is almost zero, and they do not feel the urge to roam in the streets looking for a mate, leaving them less energetic and staying at home.
When should I take my pet for neutering/spaying?
According to the American Animal Hospital Association, there is a specific age range for neutering and spaying. However, if your pet is older than the recommended age, you still must take it for neutering/spaying.
The recommended age range for neutering is 6 to 9 months. However, the process depends on whether your dog has fully developed its genitals. Besides, for spaying your female cat/dog, the age range is 4 to 6 months. However, the minimum age is two months.
Find the best age for spaying/neutering your pet.
Related Articles
In conclusion
Petting a dog or cat is indeed a huge responsibility, and you must fulfill it correctly. Your beloved pets need to get neutered or spayed before they hit puberty. These procedures are essential and beneficial for your pet, and you must not ignore them. In this article, we have tried our best to brief you on whether neutering/spaying makes your pet calmer or not.
Hopefully, this information will prove helpful!
