What Vets Wish Every Cat Owner Knew

If you’ve ever had a cat curl up in your lap, purring like your presence is the most comforting thing in the world, you know the quiet magic of feline companionship. Cats may be independent, but they count on us in ways that go deeper than words — to protect them, care for them, and make decisions that safeguard their future.

At PennyFix, we believe that one of the most powerful, compassionate choices a cat parent can make is also one of the most straightforward: spaying or neutering your cat.

We often talk about preventing overpopulation — and yes, stopping unwanted litters is essential. But just as with dogs, the benefits of spaying and neutering go far beyond population control. These simple procedures can spare your cat from a lifetime of health issues, stress, and risky behavior — while also creating a calmer, more connected relationship between you and the cat you love.

Life-Saving Health Benefits for Cats

Unspayed female cats face serious medical risks. Pyometra — a dangerous and potentially fatal uterine infection — can develop quickly and without warning. Spaying completely eliminates this threat. It also prevents ovarian and uterine cancers and drastically reduces the risk of mammary tumors, which are malignant in 85%–90% of cats.

If a female cat becomes pregnant, complications like dystocia (difficult labor), retained placentas, and pre-eclampsia (a severe drop in calcium) can occur — all painful, expensive, and often dangerous conditions that spaying can prevent entirely.

Male cats aren’t immune to health risks either. Neutering eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer and greatly reduces the risk of prostate issues and hormone-driven illnesses.

When you spay or neuter your cat, you’re protecting them from a long list of preventable problems — some of which can end a life far too soon.

Stopping the Spread of Deadly Diseases

One of the most overlooked — but critically important — reasons to spay and neuter cats is to help stop the spread of feline-specific diseases like Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV, or feline AIDS) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV).

Both diseases are most commonly spread through deep bite wounds and sexual contact — behaviors that are much more common in intact cats, especially males competing over territory or mates. However, these diseases can be spread in other ways as well.

When cats are unaltered, they’re more likely to roam, fight, and mate — all high-risk behaviors that increase exposure to these deadly viruses. Neutering greatly reduces aggressive fighting and territorial disputes, and spaying prevents the mating cycles that fuel transmission.

This matters for your pet — and for community cats, too. Feral cats face constant threats from untreated wounds, infections, and contagious disease. Spay and neuter programs are one of the most effective tools we have to slow disease spread in outdoor cat populations, reduce suffering, and give these animals a healthier shot at life.

When you spay or neuter, you’re not just protecting your cat — you’re helping safeguard entire feline communities.

Better Behavior, Safer Cats

If you’ve ever lived with an unneutered male cat, you know the challenges: pungent spraying to mark territory, aggressive behavior toward other pets, loud yowling, and an intense drive to roam in search of a mate. In fact, unneutered cats are far more likely to escape, roam far from home, and be injured in fights or hit by cars.

Females in heat can also vocalize loudly, become restless, and attract male cats from all over the neighborhood — many of whom will spray your property and fight each other right outside your door.

Spaying and neutering helps tone all this down. Altered cats are typically more affectionate, less aggressive, and far less likely to mark, roam, or engage in destructive behaviors. They stay closer to home, making them safer and easier to care for.

In multi-cat households, spaying and neutering also reduces tension and the likelihood of cat fights — and if you’ve ever heard two cats go at it, you know just how important that is.

Cleaner Homes, Calmer Lives

Without the constant hormonal changes of heat cycles, your female cat will no longer go into heat every few weeks. That means no more yowling, spraying, or anxious pacing. You won’t need to manage messes or fend off persistent suitors at your windows.

Neutering males means less marking, less aggression, and fewer medical emergencies caused by fighting or abscesses — saving you time, stress, and costly vet visits.

In short, altering your cat helps prevent the very problems that make so many cats harder to keep in homes — or worse, end up abandoned when their behavior becomes overwhelming.

A Loving Choice for Every Cat

At PennyFix, we believe every cat — whether curled up on a sunlit windowsill or navigating life as a stray or feral — deserves a healthy, happy life. That’s why we help fund spay and neuter surgeries for owned and unowned cats alike, using creative methods like donating just one penny a day. One penny. One surgery. One life changed.

When you spay or neuter your cat, you’re not just preventing litters. You’re preventing suffering. You’re reducing the spread of deadly disease. You’re giving cats the best chance at a long, healthy life by your side — and helping create a world with fewer homeless cats and more heartwarming stories of companionship.

Ready to take that step? Talk to your veterinarian about scheduling your cat’s spay or neuter.
Want to help other cats get the care they need? Support PennyFix with a donation. Join our mission, change a life — and help us make compassion go farther, one penny at a time.

[See also “We Can’t Save Them All. But What If We Could Spay Them All?”, “Are More Shelters the Answer?”, “Why Spaying and Neutering Matters.”]