Cat's Diseases

Desexing

This can be an emotive topic with some pet owners. The basic rule is that male cats and dogs are usually de-sexed because of behavioural problems. Male cats may start to spray around the apartment. This means that they will start to urinate outside of their litter box. This is obviously upsetting to the owners. Male dogs may develop unsociable behaviour or aggression to either other animals or people. Castration is often the best treatment for these conditions.

The other benefit of having your male pet neutered is that it reduces the incidence of problems with the prostate and the testicles. However it should be remembered that the incidence of cancers in both of these organs is not very high. The other main question that is often asked is 'What age should I have my pet castrated?' If they are developing behavioural problems then they should be neutered immediately otherwise is would appear to be okay to wait until they are one to two years of age.

Female cats and dogs are usually de-sexed to prevent the possibility of pregnancy. It has been shown that spaying females at around the age of six months also markedly reduces the incidence of mammary cancer. Unspayed cats and dogs are susceptible to developing infections in their uterus. This is particularly important in middle-aged dogs. There are some who advocate the early spaying of female cats and dogs but there is evidence that this can result in incontinence later in life.