(Ever since Justice for Bow, I've been been meaning to write this)

I love my cats to the moon and back. That's why I spayed/neutered them.

Yes, I know the difference. Just so happens I have 1 (tuff) boy and 1 (slightly angelic) female cat. For writing purposes I'm going to refer both processes as neutering.

The whole neutering thing is a huge debate.

"It's mean and cruel etc."

Wanna know what's cruel?

• A female cat in heat. This is a bad experience for all.
• A female cat reaches sexual maturity at 5-6 months of age. The average litter is 5-6 kittens. Once these kittens reach sexual maturity...they can have their own kittens and the cycle begins. In just 1 year you can have hundreds of cats. It's a very vicious cycle.

A lot of people question, "will my cat's behavior change?" Yes, for the better.

• Before I got my boy neutered, much to my dismay, he would leave his mark.
• When a cat is "ready," he/she will want to go outside and find a mate. Most often resulting in run-away cats never to be found again.

Neutered cats are less likely to have diseases and such. Although, I won't know for sure because I never bring my cats to the vet (lack of money). :)

Check out:

Carol's Ferals. She does a better job explaining the benefits of neutering here.

C-Snip. Amazing wonderful people. They even gave my cats a little heated cloth to lay on-- post surgery!