That male cat of yours? He was such a lovely kitten, but you never did get round to neutering him. He followed his instincts and wandered off.....

By the time he is mature, your unneutered male cat will be roaming further afield in his territory battles and his search for female cats. He will be at a greater risk from crossing unfamiliar roads and entering other cats territories.

Unneutered male cats are very aggressive to other male cats, particularly to other unneutered male cats. They inevitably end up with severe injuries from fighting. Torn ears, damaged eyes and abscesses are far too common.

In the UK alone, there are over 2,500,000 stray cats roaming the streets. Many came from a loving home, but roamed further and further away from home to find a female cat. After territory fights, many cats will not pass through the same 'area' again and end up being further away. For these 2,500,000 cats, the future is bleak. If they get injured, who will take them to a vet? Most injuries become infected and then possibly life threatening.

There is also the possibility of contracting F.I.V. (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus). This virus is similar to the H.I V. virus. In cats it depletes the white blood cells leaving them with a severely reduced immune system. It is transmitted via cat bites incurred during fights. F.I.V. is species specific and cannot be transmitted to humans.

There is also a threat from Humans! Unneutered male cats 'spray' to mark their territory. This spray of urine has an extremely pungent smell which offends many people. Some humans the will try to keep unwanted cats out of their property by whatever means they find necessary. There have been some horrific injuries caused by humans just to rid themselves of this smell and the offending cat. In studies, on average 75% of neutered cats stopped spraying. 90% of cats that are neutered before they are ten months old will not spray.



* REMEMBER - Thousands of unwanted cats and kittens are destroyed DAILY in the UK since there are just not enough homes to go round.

* Cats ideally should be neutered at six months old, however it can be done at any age. They are never too old.

* Male cats that are kept permanently indoors should be neutered to prevent him from being sexually frustrated and reduce his urge to escape.



And you thought your cat was out having fun?

Please - Think Again.