The Writing Tail

According to Cats Protection in 2022 there are around 11 million cats that are owned in the UK alone, meaning that over one in four households own a cat. That is 26%. Not only this, but 42% of cats are pedigrees. When examining these figures further a massive 85% of cats are neutered or spayed, which is 9.4 million, whereby 13% are not (Cats Protection, 2023).

When considering the enormity of cats that are neutered and spayed what this does mean to the species? Or will there be many breeds of cats left to have as a semi-domesticated pet?

What is neutering or spaying and why is it performed?

Neutering is where cats are given a surgical procedure whereby they can no longer reproduce. In males, this is known as castration meaning both testicles are removed which also removes their main source of the male hormone, testosterone. However, in females, for them neutering is called spaying, as both ovaries and the uterus are removed, meaning overall they cannot become pregnant or bear kittens (Blue Cross, 2024).

The main reason why neutering and spaying occurs is to prevent unwanted births to reduce overpopulation. However, there are other benefits such as reducing or eliminating sexual behaviours, for instance males will roam, fight over females in heat and perform urine spraying. Whilst in females being spayed reduces their howling as they are ready to mate (Best Friends Animal Society, 2022).

Even though there is no legal requirement to neuter or spay a cat, there does potentially seem to be some societal pressure in order to perform this when an owner obtains their cat. For example, Purina (2019) produced an article stating that by spaying or neutering a cat they ‘stay safer, tend to experience fewer health problems and don’t produce unwanted kittens’. In connection with this, Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center (2011) generated a report of positives and negatives when spaying or neutering a cat. However, when examining the article the pros as to why it should be performed far outweigh the listed negatives and do not necessarily consider how this could necessarily affect the cat overall, or in the future.

What does this mean for the future of cats and various different breeds?

Even though neutering and spaying could mean the cat population is potentially under control, thus assisting in reducing these numbers (Frost, 2023) alongside other amenities mentioned previously, there surely must be a time where society is required to stop neutering or spaying cats, otherwise there will not be a population. According to Statista Research Department (2024), they have stated that the estimated population of cats this year, in 2024, is 12.5 million confirming that this is a decrease of roughly 1 million. When considering this trend, if a million cats were being reduced per year, this could mean that the population of cats in general could greatly decline to only being 2 million by 2034. That’s only ten years’ away.

Furthermore, when examining cat breeds specifically, both domestic and wild cats are greatly declining with the fear of the breeds becoming extinct. For instance there is estimated to be 100 Iriomote cats left in Japan. It is considered a subspecies of the leopard, and the most rarest and vulnerable species being on the IUCN Red List (Animalia, 2024). Another example is the Blue Russian, despite them being considered the oldest pedigrees in the UK they now one of the rarest (Knight, 2023) as in 2003 only 541 blue Russian kittens were born that year (The Russian Blue, 2024).

Should neutering and spaying not be pressured on owners, but rather provided a choice?

When considering the figures on specific breeds as well as the general population of cats it could be argued that due to the pressure some owners may be feeling, they may have this strong desire to neuter or spay their cats believing it is greatly affecting them if they don’t. For example, there is even statistics stating that neutered cats live, on average, 1.07 years longer than unneutered cats (Cats Protection, 2024).

However, even though neutering or spaying at first glance seems the best solution for not just longevity of the cats life, but for controlling the population of cats altogether, there are various benefits for not performing this. For instance, if they are not spayed or neutered it means cats do not have issues to their joints as they are at higher risk once they have had the surgery. Cats are also at higher risk of having urinary tract issues, an impact to their metabolism, muscle mass and energy levels too if owners go ahead with the procedure. Additionally, cats are also potentially at risk of infection, and adverse reactions once the procedure has taken place (RexiPets, 2023).

Therefore, when considering both sides there could be a strong argument that owners should not be pressured to perform the neuter or spay as it can cause a great risk to the cats health overall, regardless of the benefits for the procedure to occur.

In conclusion…

Cats are the nations most loved pet, being in 1 in 4 households, across the UK (Cats Protection, 2023). But due to the pressure of needing to be population controlled, it could be argued that we may be seeing less breeds like the Russian Blue and potentially in the future other breeds because there is this potential unspoken pressure for owners to neuter and spay, without necessarily being told the negatives just mostly the positives of performing the procedure.

Regardless of the outcome, society is possibly the only solution to the cats survival and possibly what happens to them and their vast breeds in the future. Whatever the outcome, cats in the future may be quietly saying to us, like Princess Leia once said to Obi Wan in Star Wars, “Help me, you’re my only hope” (IMDb, 2024).

References

Animalia. (2024). Iriomote Cat – Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio. [online] Available at: https://animalia.bio/iriomote-cat. [Accessed 30 September 2024].

Best Friends Animal Society (2022). Cat Spay/Neuter: What to Expect and Why It’s Important. [online] Available at: https://bestfriends.org/pet-care-resources/cat-spayneuter-what-expect-and-why-its-important#:~:text=Spaying%20or%20neutering%20your%20cat%2C%20as%20well%20as%20community%20cats [Accessed 30 September 2024].

Blue Cross (2024). Neutering your cat. [online] http://www.bluecross.org.uk. Available at: https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/cat/neutering-your-cat#:~:text=Neutering%20means%20surgically%20preventing%20cats%20from%20reproducing.,of%20the%20male%20hormone%20testosterone. [Accessed 30 September 2024].

Cats Protection. (2023). CATS Report 2023 | CATS Report | Cats Protection. [online] Available at: https://www.cats.org.uk/about-cp/cats-report. [Accessed 29 September 2024].

Cats Protection. (2024). How long do pet cats live? [online] Available at: https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/how-long-do-pet-cats-live. [Accessed 30 September 2024].

Frost, S. (2023). Study is ‘stark reminder’ of feline neutering importance. [online] Vet Times. Available at: https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/study-is-stark-reminder-of-feline-neutering-importance/ [Accessed 30 September 2024].

IMDb. (2024). Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) – IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/characters/nm0000402. [Accessed 30 September 2024].

Knight, C. (2023). Russian Blue Cat Breed Guide. [online] Scrumbles: Natural Pet Food. Available at: https://scrumbles.co.uk/blogs/news/russian-blue-cat [Accessed 30 September 2024].

Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center (2019). PROS AND CONS OF SPAYING AND NEUTERING IN CATS. https://nilesanimalhospital.com/, [online] pp.1–2. Available at: https://nilesanimalhospital.com/files/2012/05/Pros-and-Cons-of-Spaying-and-Neutering-in-Cats.pdf [Accessed 30 September 2024].

Purina. (2019). When To Neuter a Cat and When To Spay a Cat. [online] Available at: https://www.purina.ca/articles/kitten/health/spaying-neutering [Accessed 29 September 2024].

RexiPets. (2023). Pros And Cons Of Neutering A Cat. [online] Available at: https://rexipets.com/blogs/the-latest/pros-and-cons-of-neutering-a-cat. [Accessed 30 September 2024].

Russianblue. (2024). Why that shelter cat probably is not a Russian Blue. [online] Available at: https://www.russianblue.info/Russian_Blue_rescues.htm [Accessed 30 September 2024].

Statista Research Department. (2024). Cat population in the UK 2010-2018. [online] Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/515381/cats-population-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/. [Accessed 29 September 2024]