Anyone who has their outdoor cat neutered is making an important contribution to cat protection - the German Animal Welfare Federation draws attention to this and refers to the millions of suffering street cats in the country that come from non-neutered animals from private households. There are also many advantages for the neutered animal itself and its owner. Neutering is a routine veterinary procedure that should be carried out on both female cats and outdoor cats.
“Unneutered cats breed with other unneutered outdoor cats or street cats. The kittens, who grow up outside without human attention, live hidden, withdrawn lives and have to fight for their survival. They starve, freeze and suffer from infectious diseases. Countless die shortly after birth,” explains Dr. Dalia Zohni, specialist for pets at the German Animal Welfare Federation, and clarifies: ”Cat owners have a key role to play in the fight against the suffering of street cats. They make an important contribution to animal welfare by having their own cats neutered.” As unwanted offspring from owner cats and kittens found on the street often end up in animal shelters, neutering can also help to relieve the already overcrowded shelters.
THE ADVANTAGES OF NEUTERING OUTWEIGH THE DISADVANTAGES
On average, one in ten cats in Germany is not neutered - according to a representative survey of cat owners presented by the German Animal Welfare Association in its “Big Cat Protection Report”. Some cat owners have prejudices about neutering or are put off by the thought of an operation. For healthy animals, however, the risk is manageable and has other advantages in addition to rendering them infertile. As sex hormones are no longer produced, the animals' temperament is more balanced, which in no way means that they become temperamentless and sluggish. There are fewer fights, which reduces injuries and therefore the likelihood of disease transmission.
Neutered cats are also no longer in search of sexual partners, for which they often travel long distances. This reduces their risk of road traffic accidents. If female cats no longer come into heat, there is also no longer any risk of the animals becoming permanently in heat and contracting hormone-dependent diseases of the reproductive system, such as uterine inflammation or tumors. It is a misconception that neutered cats automatically become fat and lethargic - it is crucial to adjust the amount of food to the animal's activity. The German Animal Welfare Federation also believes that costs should not be an obstacle to neutering. “Keeping animals is very expensive overall. The one-off costs of neutering should be factored in before acquiring a cat,” says Zohni. Neutering incurs veterinary costs of around 150 to 300 euros. Cats that are adopted from an animal shelter are usually already neutered.
Note to editors:
The German Animal Welfare Association has published the “Great Cat Protection Report” to make the suffering of street cats visible, educate the public and hold politicians to account. This is accompanied by the current campaign “Every cat's life counts”: www.jetzt-katzen-helfen.de
