The benefits of spaying your cat far outweigh any potential complications that may be involved in the de-sexing procedure. Spayed cats are less likely to have unwanted litters of kittens; develop ovarian and uterine cancers and diseases; hormone-related disorders and behavioral problems, including mating calls, excessive rubbing against humans and other pets; biting; scratching and rolling around on the ground; and dominance-related behaviors. There are many reasons to spay your female cat, but there also are a few things you may wish to consider before the deciding on the procedure.
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Weight Gain
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Although it is true that a healthy female cat will require approximately 25 percent fewer calories a day to maintain its weight after spaying, there is no reason to believe that your cat will become obese as a result of a de-sexing operation. Simply take into account your cat's slower metabolism after the surgery, and feed her a lower-calorie diet than you were feeding her before the spay procedure.
No More Breeding Potential
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It is true that your cat will no longer be able to breed after a spay. If your cat is a purebred female with a good temperament, intelligence and rare beauty, you may wish to continue her genetic line by breeding her with another cat of similar merit. This is a valid reason not to spay a purebred cat of exceptional quality--especially if there are no siblings to pass on the desirable genetic traits.
Physical and Behavioral Problems
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If your cat is very young when spayed, she may lose estrogen and retain many of her kitten-like physical and behavioral traits. De-sexing your cat before she has experienced her first season could limit her body's ability to mature its features and behavioral characteristics. This is not always considered a 'bad' thing, as many people prefer playful kitten cuteness and behaviors to those of full-grown felines.
Another more troubling issue involved in early de-sexing is the potential for the cat to develop incontinence as a result of its lack of estrogen when the sphincter muscles at the base of the bladder do not fully mature. There are a number of theories about why this happens, but it appears that de-sexed females are the most at risk for developing incontinence, although the condition is much more rare in cats than in other spayed animals.
Risks of Surgery
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Any invasive surgery has inherent risks associated with the procedure. Because general anesthesia is used to make the cat unconscious during the spay, there is always the slight possibility that the cat will fail to wake up after the procedure or could suffer brain or other internal damage as a result of the medication. These risks are very rare, and complications from the surgical procedure are unusual.
Cost
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The cost of a feline spay can be anywhere from $100 to $250, depending on the age of your cat and its medical condition. Although this expense may seem prohibitive for some cat owners, the cost of feeding and maintaining veterinary care for unwanted kittens is much higher, and cats that are not spayed and do not breed are at a much higher risk of developing certain types of cancers and other health ailments, so the investment in a spay can actually save you money in the long run.
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