If you have a pet cat at your home, you’ve probably thought about getting it spayed/neutered at least once. For those who don’t know, spaying/neutering refers to removing a cat’s reproductive organs so that it cannot reproduce. Most veterinarians believe that cats should be spayed and neutered as it has many benefits. Let’s talk about the health benefits first.
According to research, female cats that are spayed can’t get uterine cancers and their risk of mammary/breast cancer is reduced by 25%. Moreover, they are less prone to other health issues such as urinary tract infections (UTI) and hormonal changes that may cause psychological distress.
In the case of male cats, the chances of testicular cancer go down to zero. Neutered cats tend to live 40% longer than their unneutered counterparts. They also tend to show less aggression and their desire to wander isn’t “fierce”.
Unneutered cats
Unneutered cats are more aggressive, leading to a high risk of injury and becoming infected with feline leukemia and/or feline immunodeficiency virus. Moreover, unneutered male cats tend to spray urine in every corner of the house and it stinks! Imagine this, you keep your ironed clothes at the bed to wear in the morning and you wake up only to find out that your cat has peed over them – you certainly don’t want to experience that, do you?
And that’s not it; apart from the health benefits of spaying and neutering, there is also a serious issue of overpopulation in Pakistan. An average cat has 1–8 kittens per litter, and 2–3 litters per year. During her productive life, one female cat could have more than 100 kittens. A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years!
Most of these cats are abandoned, euthanized or die due to malnourishment. To prevent this problem, it is important to spay and neuter your pet cat as well as the stray cats around you. Take the first step today. If you can’t do it on your own, the Animal Welfare Students’ Association (AWSA) at IBA is always here to help!
The Story of AWSA
AWSA is an independent, student-run animal welfare community at IBA. Our aim is to fight for animal rights and to provide them a safe and secure environment where they can live happily – particularly stray cats. So far, we have gotten 80% of the IBA cat population spayed. Most of them have also been adopted into good homes. If you need any guidance about getting your cat spayed/neutered, feel free to reach out to us.
