Content
- Benefits of neutering dogs and cats
- Neutering calms dog and cat and reduces Escapes
- Modulate aggressiveness
- Reduces territorial marking
- Castrate prevents cancer
- Prevents Overpopulation
- Castrate increases longevity
- Myths about castrate
- Castrate fattening
- It's a painful and cruel act
- The female must have at least one pregnancy
- The male loses "masculinity"
- Should I neuter my dog and cat?
Taking good care of our faithful companions is already routine for those who decide to have a pet dog or cat, however, some care is needed so that they can enjoy good health and have a comfortable life by our side. Castration, both in males and females, becomes almost a rule when we talk about animal welfare, however, this subject has been accompanied by many myths and truths, let's talk a little about them.
Castration, technically, is the surgical removal of organs responsible for reproduction in animals, in the case of males, the testicle, the organ responsible for the production and maturation of sperm, is removed, and in females, the ovaries and uterus are removed, which are responsible for the maturation of the eggs and sustaining the pregnancy, respectively. In addition to the production and maturation of gametes, these glands are also the producers of the sex hormones Estrogen and Testosterone, which, in addition to stimulating the sexual libido, are also important in the modulation of animal behavior.
The act of neutering the pet is almost unanimous among tutors and veterinarians, the main reason for discussion at this point is precisely the risks and benefits of this procedure. In this article by PeritoAnimal we will tell you about some Myths and Truth of Castration of Cats and Dogs. Keep reading!
Benefits of neutering dogs and cats
Neutering calms dog and cat and reduces Escapes
We know that escapes, in addition to putting the animal at risk, is one of the main factors that lead to being run over, fights and poisoning, keeping an animal away from the streets is undoubtedly one of the main ways of caring for our faithful companions. Lowering hormone levels after castration significantly reduces breakouts by decreasing the instinctive need to explore new environments or seek out mates for reproduction.
Modulate aggressiveness
Aggression can be part of your pet's personality, and in fact it does not depend only on sexual hormones, but a combination of factors such as the type of creation, education given by managers, early exposure to humans and other animals, among others . However, it is proven that the decrease in sex hormones with castration modulates aggressive behavior, especially in males, in addition to keeping the animal calmer and less hyperactive. That's why we can say that neutering calms the bitch and the dog. The same applies to felines, neutering calms the cat.
Reduces territorial marking
Territorial marking is a very strong instinctive act in animals, marking territory means showing other animals that that place already has an owner, one of the great problems of territorial marking is the damage that the urine of animals can cause at home, in addition to causing fights and stress in other animals in the same coexistence, with castration this habit is reduced and often even annulled. For this reason, it is often advisable to neuter a cat that marks its territory. Read our full article on the benefits of neutering a cat.
Castrate prevents cancer
Just like us humans, our pets can also get cancer, and breast, uterus and testicular cancer are among the most frequent, spaying, in addition to preventing these types of cancer, also prevents sudden hormonal changes during aging.
Prevents Overpopulation
This is undoubtedly a big problem in our cities, the overpopulation of stray animals can be directly combatted with castration, an errant female both feline and canine, in a few years can generate dozens of offspring and create a huge family tree.
Castrate increases longevity
The absence of reproductive organs contributes to a better quality of life, as in addition to not overloading the metabolism, it also avoids the risk of cancer and infections that could cause serious problems for our faithful companions.
Myths about castrate
Castrate fattening
Weight gain after castration is simply due to an energy imbalance, the energy requirement of an animal without reproductive organs is much lower compared to an animal that still has them, because reproduction, as well as the production of hormones, needs a lots of energy. The great villain in this story ends up being the type of diet and not the castration itself, since the animal that was castrated needs less food to satisfy its normal metabolic requirements, so the secret is precisely to adapt the diet and have a exercise routine after the procedure, thus avoiding obesity and secondary problems that may arise.
Neutered animal changes behavior and becomes lazy
As in the previous example, castration is also not responsible for this factor, the animal becomes sedentary when its weight increases due to overfeeding, a neutered animal maintains the same habits, but always needs stimulation and a balanced diet accordingly. to your new needs.
It's a painful and cruel act
This, without a doubt, is one of the biggest myths about castration, because when performed by a veterinarian, it will always take place under anesthesia and following all safety procedures. So the answer to the questions "does neutering hurt?" and "does neutering cat hurt?" and not!
The female must have at least one pregnancy
Quite contrary to what is believed, when performed before, castration is not only safer, it also prevents more accurately the future appearance of breast tumors and hormonal imbalances.
The male loses "masculinity"
Another myth, because the term masculinity is portrayed yes for humans and not for animals, as animals see sex as a form of reproduction and not as a pleasure, so your pet will not cease to be more or less male due to the fact of being neutered.
Should I neuter my dog and cat?
Now that we've compared the myths and truths about neutering, it's clear the amount of benefits it brings to our four-legged friends, a conversation with your pet's veterinarian is always welcome to clarify doubts and make the best decision to our faithful companions.
To know the ideal age to neuter a dog, read our article on this subject. If on the other hand you have a cat, we also have an article about the best age to neuter a male cat and ideal age to neuter a female cat.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.