Education Station: Top 10 Reasons Ball-less Is Flawless

Balls & Ovaries GTG

Bob Barker said, “Spay and neuter your pets.”

Kitten Lady and Cat Man of West Oakland tout “Ball-less and Flawless.”

No matter how you look at it, you MUST get your pets fixed. Here are ten reasons why.

10. Your Cat or Dog Wakes Up from Surgery Like, “Whatevs.”

Cats and dogs are not people. Surgeries to remove limbs even don’t have much of an effect on them. If you had your leg removed, you’d likely be telling the story for 20 years. Cats and dogs wake up post-op amputation surgery, hobble around a little, and adjust super quickly.

Removal of reproductive organs is similar. They’re groggy post-op from a spay or neuter, but adjust and heal quickly. If they’ve already had a lot of hormones in their systems, it will take a few months for things to level out, but there isn’t a significant impact.

9. Let’s Toast to Smaller Heads & No Baby Mamas.

Your cat or dog will still be the same. For the males, they may be a little less aggressive and it will take their energy level down a little, but that’s it!

Physically, tomcat’s (unaltered male cats) have big broad heads that slim out post neuter. Pics below are of my foster Timmy right after surgery, then a few weeks later. You can see a slight slimming of the head in the 2nd pic.

8. I Just Wanna Run Out Back Real Quick

“My cat only stays inside.”

Okay, well guess what? Unaltered animals are unpredictable. Many times, they will try to go outside when hormones are raging to find a mate. You don’t want to risk this AT ALL. The last thing you need in 60 days is five newborn kittens under your bed. Remember, it only takes ONE encounter to make babies.

7. Trend: 1.5 lbs. Is the New 2 lbs.

Now, you can spay or neuter healthy kittens at 1.5 lbs. (I believe the puppy number is 2 lbs.)

Contrary to what you’ve heard, It’s actually less risky to spay or neuter a cat and dog under six months and definitely before any litters.

6. Bumble for Cats: Spraying

Unaltered male and female cats spray, which alerts others in the area that a cat is ready to hook up. It’s also one of the worst smells ever because of excess hormones (testosterone or estrogen) in their pee. Whether indoor or outdoor, they will do it.

Can we start a #swiperightandspray #swipeleftandspay movement?

5. Hot ‘n’ Bothered Animals Bite

“I’m surrendering my cat. It cat bit my daughter.”

“Is your cat fixed?”

“No.”

Ummmmmmmmm … If you’re bringing an unaltered animal into your home, they’re going to have raging hormones, which contributes to aggression and leads to bites and scratches. This results in too many dogs and cats being surrendered when the problem is entirely fixable.

4. Kittens Can Have Kittens. It’s Horrifying & Ends Bad.

A female cat can sometimes get pregnant at four months old. To give you an idea, she’s around 4 lbs. at that time, and is STILL a kitten. Getting fertilized at four months means she’ll deliver when she’s around six months.

Newborns by young mothers can be abandoned, because the mother doesn’t know what to do – her own body isn’t even done developing. They also frequently have kittens with deformities or major healthy problems.

I was fortunate to foster full grown Femi (aka Mama), who had six kittens. I doubt they would have been so perfect if Femi had been six months old. All seven got their spay and neuter surgeries on the same day.

3. Neonatal Kittens at Shelters = High Risk of Euthanasia.

Whether a mother abandons her kittens or not, many people find kittens and turn them in to a shelter or rescue. People are only trying to help, but it’s possible you’re actually signing their death warrant for multiple reasons:

• Mothers are most often close by. A mature mother (NOT the type mentioned in #4) gives a kitten the best chance for survival.
• Neonates MUST be fed and stimulated to pee/poop every two hours, and they must be kept warm. Newborn kittens must be fostered because most shelters/rescues don’t have the staff or resources for overnight nurseries.

• Their tiny immune systems aren’t very strong yet, making them more susceptible to illness, especially without the antibodies in their mother’s milk.

2. Overpopulation. Plain and Simple.

Shelters, especially in larger cities, are full most of the time. Without room in intake shelters, animals have to be euthanized for spay. There are also strays who end up starving or dying of trauma on the streets. All avoidable.

1. Oh, Hey, Reproductive Cancer … Bye, Bye, Bye

For Females

Spaying before 1st heat cycle:

• Nearly eliminates chance for breast cancer
• Prevents uterine infections
• Eliminates uterine cancer

These are fatal in 50% of dogs and 90% of cats.

For Males

• Prevents testicular cancer

• Prevents enlargement of prostate gland

• Reduces rick of perianal tumors

Let’s All Say No to …

… Smelly pee, deformed animals, and cancer, and make sure you and everyone you know spays and neuters their cats and dogs.

Want to Learn More?

Read my post Education Station: Kill vs. No-Kill Animal Shelters: What You Think You Know Is Proabably Wrong to gain a better understanding of the shelter system.

Sources: American Veterinary Medical Association & American Humane.