It can certainly be fun to envision what your pet’s puppies, kittens, or bunnies would look like, and to imagine yourself surrounded by those adorable little fluff balls. However, having an intact pet comes with more responsibility than many people realize, and the risks of not spaying and neutering your pets far outweigh any potential benefits.
Better Behavior Through Spaying And Neutering?
Absolutely!
Having your pet altered can significantly reduce or even eliminate certain undesirable behaviors in dogs, cats, and rabbits, including:
- Roaming – Intact pets, especially males, are more likely to try and escape the house or yard in search of potential mates. This puts them at serious risk of being lost, injured, or killed.
- Territory marking – Neutered pets are less likely to engage in territory marking behaviors such as urinating or spraying. Altered pets are generally more content to be near home and family, and the bond is often deeper as a result.
Beat The Heat
A hugely beneficial aspect of having a female pet spayed is to prevent her from going into heat. Females in heat tend to yowl, try to escape in the search for a mate, and may urinate or bleed inside the home.
Considering some cats go into heat for four or five days every three weeks during breeding season, that can add up to a lot of hours spent cleaning your house and dealing with an unruly feline.
Health Benefits Of Spaying And Neutering
Besides helping your pet to become more well-rounded and better suited to life in human society, spaying and neutering has myriad long-term health benefits, such as:
- Prevention of uterine infection
- Decreased risk of breast (mammary) cancer
- Prevention of testicular cancer
- Decreased risk of prostate problems
Doing Your Part
Besides preventing certain health problems and improving your pet’s behaviors, spaying and neutering helps control the overpopulation of homeless pets in our society. Each year, millions of dogs, cats, and small mammals are euthanized in animal shelters across the country, simply because there are too many of them. Every time a pet is spayed or neutered, however, this devastating number gets a little bit smaller.
If you have questions about spaying or neutering your pet, or would like to set up an appointment for your pet, don’t hesitate to contact your friends at Pets In Stitches!
