10 Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet

Jan 10, 2024

Spaying or neutering your pet helps prevent dog and cat overpopulation that results in pet homelessness. However, as a responsible, loving pet owner there are many other more personal reasons why you’ll want to spay or neuter your dog or cat.

1. Your pet will live a longer, healthier life.

Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in 50% of dogs and 90% of cats. Neutering male pets can prevent testicular cancer, if done before pets are six months and older. On top of preventing disease, spaying and neutering also protects your pet from unwanted and unplanned litters!

2. Spayed female dogs and cats won’t go into heat.

While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat for four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. To “advertise” for mates, they’ll yowl and urinate more frequently, sometimes all over the house. Female dogs go into heat on average twice a year for two to four weeks each time and also exhibit undesirable behaviors including messy discharge.

3. Your male dog won’t want to roam away from home.

An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under fences or dashing out the door to escape from the house. Once he’s free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other animals. This urge is lessened after neutering.

4. Neutered pets are much better behaved.

Unaltered dogs and cats may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. On the other hand, neutered pets focus their attention on their human families, and early neutering may help avoid aggression problems.

5. Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat.

Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds, not spaying or neutering! Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide energetic activities and monitor food intake.

6. Spaying and neutering is highly cost-effective.

The cost of your pet’s spay or neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment if your unneutered pet escapes and gets into a fight with the neighborhood stray!

7. Spaying and neutering your pet is good for the community.

Stray animals pose a real problem in many parts of the country. They can cause traffic incidents, carry and spread disease, and frighten people and their pets. Spaying and neutering packs a powerful punch in reducing the number of animals on the streets.

8. Your pet doesn’t need to have a litter for your children to learn about the miracle of birth.

Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping is not a good lesson for your children, especially when so many unwanted animals end up in shelters. There are tons of books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a more responsible way.

9. Spaying and neutering helps fight pet overpopulation.

Every year, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized at animal shelters or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unplanned and unwanted litters that could have been prevented by spaying and neutering. Learn about The Animal Foundation’s save rate for cats and dogs and their stance on euthanization.

10. It’s the law.

To fight pet overpopulation, many cities have passed ordinances requiring pets to be spayed or neutered. In Las Vegas, all four municipalities (City of Las Vegas, City of North Las Vegas, City of Henderson, and Clark County) require residents to spay and neuter their pets. Only those with breeder or fancier permits from their local jurisdiction are considered exceptions to these rules.