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IN THE UK CATS ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO BE NEUTERED BY THEIR CARING OWNERS AS DOGS 

First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk  


This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Veterinarians and responsible animal welfare associations recommend neutering to reduce the number of unwanted puppies and kittens. A recent report suggests that dogs are less likely to be neutered than cats.

In the UK 149 veterinary practices submit computer data to an analytical programme which monitors their performance. This scheme was called the Fort Dodge Index. According to the latest results * an average of 82% of cats attending veterinary practices in the survey are surgically neutered (spayed), whereas 42% of dogs are surgically neutered. 

This also means that nearly 60% of dogs are not neutered - and this figure does not include dogs in society which are not registered with a veterinary practice.

Given that the practices advocate the neutering of both dogs and cats, the difference in uptake by owners is difficult to explain - but possible reasons are :

  • Male dogs are often not neutered because they do not cause a nuisance for their owners because of their sexuality
  • Bitches can be kept indoors and away from males during their periods "on heat" and this is only an inconvenience for the owner twice a year.
  • Female cats get pregnant frequently if they are not neutered and they often have unlimited access to the outdoors - so neutering is important unless the owner has a large supply of new homes.
  • Male cats that are not neutered give off a pungent smell, go calling, get involved in fights and as a result obtain wounds and cat abscesses - all of which are reasons to have them neutered.
  • In dogs alternative methods of controlling pregnancy - ie hormone treatment - is available as an alternate to surgical neutering.

 

(*In Practice Vol 22, No 2, pg 99-104 February 2000) 

 

Updated in Progress October 2013