Keeping cats in modern apartments is associated with certain difficulties. This is most noticeable at the onset of the mating season, when the animal tends to mate and literally does not give rest to the owners. And cats, in addition, also mark the territory, which is why a sharp unpleasant smell is established in the house, which is very difficult to remove.
In addition, sexually active animals, especially those that go for walks on their own, have a short life span. The street is a source of high danger for cats. They often die under the wheels of cars and at the hands of cruel people, receive various injuries, communicate and fight with homeless animals, suffer from contagious and dangerous diseases, including for humans.
Therefore, when starting a cat, most owners are set up to undergo a sterilization or castration operation. At what age should a cat be neutered? It is believed that this operation should be performed at a time when the pet has already formed the genitourinary system, but he still does not know what mating is.
Early castration (up to 10 months) is not welcome, as this can lead to problems with the genitourinary system. It is also not advised to reach the time when the cat is already sexually active and has experience mating. It is believed that such a cat, although not capable of reproductive activity, will continue to mark corners and demand a cat from old memory.
Is it worth castrating a cat whose age is much higher than recommended? One cannot say for sure. Veterinarians have different opinions about how much to castrate a cat and whether to castrate adult cats with sexual experience. Of course, each animal is individual, and everyone behaves differently. It is impossible to guess ahead how the behavior of the cat will change after castration. However, many owners who have performed surgery on cats over 5 years of age claim that castration yielded 100% results, and it doesn’t matter at what age to castrate a cat. As a rule, most cats in this case stop asking for a cat, do not rush to the street, become calm, good-natured and very affectionate. Those animals that are not limited in independent walks begin to spend more time at home and even return to games. As for the territory marks, in the first few months a castrated adult cat continues to inertia mark corners in the house, but the smell is not so sharp anymore. Gradually, this habit in the animal disappears. Therefore, the question of at what age to castrate a cat, there is no definite answer.
As a rule, castrated cats live longer. They become more clean, and they no longer emit the unpleasant odor characteristic of cats during the mating season. Animals fully retain all their hunter skills. Neither does castration affect their quick wits and basic character traits, unless the aggressiveness inherent in them during the “cat weddings” disappears.
The operation of castration of a cat is quite simple, since it affects only the external genitalia. Caring for the cat after surgery is minimal. The main thing is to monitor the animal immediately after getting out of anesthesia, when the cat is still not quite adequate, and the coordination of movements is impaired due to muscle relaxation.
It is believed that castrated cats get very fat. In fact, completeness is more often associated with the constitution of the animal and overfeeding. It is known that uncastrated cats that are fed “for slaughter” are also very thick. However, after castration, nutrition should become slightly different, as the cats become vulnerable urogenital system and a tendency to develop urolithiasis.
A castrated cat needs to be fed little by little, but often. It is best to exclude fish from the diet, as the trace elements in it can harm a neutered animal. Food should consist of beef, poultry, chicken offal, vegetables, cereals. Be sure to give kefir and cottage cheese. Drinking should be present in unlimited quantities. And, of course, a castrated cat should not be overfed.
So, at what age should a cat be neutered and is it worth it at all? Each person must decide for himself. If the cat is not a valuable producer of purebred kittens and lives in a city apartment, then the decision on castration is fully justified.