Definitions

• Spaying is sterilizing a female animal by removing her ovaries and uterus, while neutering is sterilizing a male animal by removing his testes.
  
  

Benefits for Female Cats and Owners

• Spayed females do not have heat cycles, which means there will be no intolerable yowling in the middle of the night. Spayed females are also much less likely to attract males or roam, which decreases the likelihood of injuries, diseases and accidents. The risk of mammary gland tumors, ovarian cancer and uterine cancer also goes down if cats are spayed before the first heat cycle. Spaying your female feline will also increase her lifespan by an average of three to five years.
  
  

Benefits for Neutered Cats and Owners

• Male neutered cats seldom spray or mark, leaving your house safer from smelly cat urine surprises. Males, also, have a reduced desire to roam, leaving them less vulnerable to not only diseases and injuries from vehicles, but also complication from cat fights. Neutering virtually eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer if done before six months of age and dramatically reduces the incidence of prostate disease. Male cats tend to be less aggressive and, like their female counterparts, live three to five years longer. In sharp contrast, a non-neutered male cat who lives outdoors can expect to live around two years.
  
  

Community Benefits of Spaying and Neutering

• Every year, around $1 billion is spent on capturing, impounding, and euthanizing unwanted animals. Cats are 45 times more prolific than humans, so high incidences of spaying and neutering can dramatically reduce unwanted cat populations and the costs associated with them. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), spaying and neutering reduces feral animal populations, which can prey on wildlife, cause car accidents, damage the local fauna and frighten children.
  
  

Cost

• The cost of spaying or neutering a cat is far less than properly carrying for a litter, according to the ASPCA, and free or no-cost clinics are often available. Contact the ASPCA, your local Humane Society, pet advocate organizations or community shelters for more information on clinics in your area.
  
  

Disadvantages

• There are few disadvantages to spaying or neutering your cat. Sometimes there are complications after the surgery, such as urinary tract problems. Some also protest spaying and neutering as an unnatural procedure. Complications are rare, however, and reputable organizations, such as the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States, strongly encourage the procedures.