Spaying and neutering

Recently I heard an opinion on spaying that I haven't heard in years....that a female pet should have one heat cycle before spaying. This is totally false!!! When I was a kid everyone believed that a dog or cat should have at least one litter before spaying. Where this came from I'll never know but it probably helped contribute to the overpopulation of dogs and cats we have been experiencing for years.

Female dogs and cats should be spayed before they ever go into heat which is around six months of age. If a female dog or cat is allowed to go into heat, it increases the risk of mammary tumors later in life.

Besides the risk of mammary tumors, the heat cycle is extremely stressful not only for your pet but also for you. The female cat quivers and cries almost constantly and seems to be in pain while the female dog bleeds and smells.

Somehow male dogs and cats are able to sense females in heat and suddenly there are suitors everywhere. The males are fighting each other in their desire to be the first to mate. Walking your female dog is almost impossible because you are having to fend off males wanting to get to her.

I was 19 when I got my first cat and was not aware of the all the things involved with a heat cycle. My cat was crying all the time and everytime I touched her, she quivered all over and seemed to be in pain. I felt so helpless and sorry for her. I kept her inside so the males couldn't get to her but they stayed around my house yowling all through the nights. Their yowl would make my skin crawl and I had nightmares about being attacked if I went outside.

Male cats should definitely be neutered by 6-7 months of age. When the male cat matures, he develops an odor to his urine that will run you out of the house!!! Not only will the smell be horrible but he will start marking his territory by spraying urine inside and outside the house. Once he has developed the habit of spraying it is very, very difficult to break. If he is allowed outside, he will get into fights with other tom cats and you'll have to deal with bite wounds, scratches and abcesses.

While the male dog doesn't develop the strong urine odor, he will still mark his territory with urine and get into fights. Also, you may find that he will start straying away from home to find the females.

The bottom line is that unless your pet has a great championship bloodline, there is no good reason not to spay or neuter your pet. The shelters are full of homeless dogs and cats so why not give one of them a home instead of creating more animals that may one day end up in the shelter.