# Disadvantages to spaying/neutering a dog/cat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 16, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007 "2003-07-16T23:24:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dalchini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dalchini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dalchini)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/21 "2003-07-17T10:53:27Z")
Now what about the guarding breeds like Rottwiliers and German Shepherds? Will they guard without their, “manhoods”? ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/22 "2003-07-17T11:51:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by keithnmick \* > \*\*If you’re a cat lover you won’t get all the toms in the neighbourhood paying your house a visit at 1am and singing/fighting in the back yard looking to serenade your little lady. > > \*\* So would someone be good enough to inform the _huge_ black’n’white bruiser who turns up on my patio every day to “serenade” my two little spayed sisters that he’s _wasting his time!!!_ (Unless it’s the idea of “twins” which gets him going … 🙂 ) Julie ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/23 "2003-07-17T12:09:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dalchini \* > \*\*Now what about the guarding breeds like Rottwiliers and German Shepherds? Will they guard without their, “manhoods”? \*\* My border collie mix is a spayed female and she has a real sense of property - just ring the doorbell and find out! If she is protective, I don’t see why any other dog wouldn’t be. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/24 "2003-07-17T12:22:10Z")
Colour me confused. When we took our dog (male cocker spaniel) to the vet at the age of 6 months (he’s now 1 y), we asked whether neutering would be a good idea. She said that there was absolutely no reason to neuter the dog. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![keithnmick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90db22/32.png) [@keithnmick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keithnmick)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/25 "2003-07-17T12:34:55Z")
Here’s a good Q & A on the subject, by an organisation that includes the AVMA and a whole lot of other similar groups. It also showcases the spay/neuter stamps: [http://www.americanpartnershipforpets.org/appspayneuteranswers.html](http://www.americanpartnershipforpets.org/appspayneuteranswers.html) As I’ve said before, my wife is a small animal (dog and cat) vet. She absolutely believes in neutering pets. When she lived in Philly working on her degree the number of morons who would show up at the dogpark with an intact pit bull or other “macho” breed (I have nothing against the breed, just the morons who get a macho breed and keep it intact to fuel their ego) which would then run around acting aggresively towards other dogs or trying to hump them was only outnumbered by the number of unowned pitbull mixes that would have to be killed as there were no willing owners to take them. Males piss a lot less in the house when you fix them too. I consider that an advantage. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/26 "2003-07-17T14:23:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dragon Phoenix \* > \*\*Colour me confused. When we took our dog (male cocker spaniel) to the vet at the age of 6 months (he’s now 1 y), we asked whether neutering would be a good idea. She said that there was absolutely no reason to neuter the dog. 😕 \*\* Get a new vet. That’s incredibly irresponsible. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/27 "2003-07-17T16:07:17Z")
Yeah, what **ENugent** said. Unless she misspoke or you misunderstood, and she actually said (or meant to say) that there’s absolutely no reason _not_ to neuter the dog. (I think that’s pretty likely, as every vet I’ve ever known has been quite vocal about those stupid #%#(\*&^'s who don’t get their pets altered.) Guarding and territoriality doesn’t have anything to do with having gonads. Dogs are pack animals, and it’s their instinct to mark and protect pack territory. My Dolly has been guarding me since two weeks after I adopted her, and a week after her spay. (Yeah, I know, but we were having a busy week and couldn’t do an extra surgery for a few days.) Some dogs are more protective/more territorial than others, but that’s far more an individual temperament thing than a breed thing or a spay/neuter thing. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/28 "2003-07-17T16:15:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ENugent \* > \*\*Get a new vet. That’s incredibly irresponsible. \*\* I agree. I’ve _never ever ever ever_ heard a vet dismiss spaying/neutering like that, and I’ve been to good and not-so-good ones. They usually almost beg you to do it, if not only to prevent unwanted animals, they also stress the many health and safety benefits. Also, as **elmwood** alluded to in her post (referring to “pet quality” purebreds), even if you have a purebreed dog it is still irresponsible to mate it with any dog (even another “purebred” of the same breed) to make “purebred” puppies. This should generally be left to “real” breeders (not the backyard kind), because backyard breeding leads to the propagation of congenital defects such as hip problems, etc. Breeding should be done to “advance” the breed. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/29 "2003-07-17T16:18:48Z")
Yeah, what **ENugent** said. Unless she misspoke or you misunderstood, and she actually said (or meant to say) that there’s absolutely no reason _not_ to neuter the dog. (I think that’s pretty likely, as every vet I’ve ever known has been quite vocal about those stupid #%#(\*&^'s who don’t get their pets altered.) Guarding and territoriality doesn’t have anything to do with having gonads. Dogs are pack animals, and it’s their instinct to mark and protect pack territory. My Dolly has been guarding me since two weeks after I adopted her, and a week after her spay. (Yeah, I know, but we were having a busy week and couldn’t do an extra surgery for a few days.) Some dogs are more protective/more territorial than others, but that’s far more an individual temperament thing than a breed thing or a spay/neuter thing. ---
**Author:** ![Jaypool\_the\_Great](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@Jaypool\_the\_Great](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaypool_the_Great)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/30 "2012-06-23T20:02:26Z")
:mad: This is not the way. Neutering cats is not the way to go if your protecting your male cat from roaming all the same. Spaying male cats does not make them lazier if the male cat himself has a very crazy personality, I agree, but spaying them but being obvious about it to your cat may make it angry with you. My grandma had a cat and it was neutered, it does not make any difference to whether it is aggressive or not because that cat was born to be crazy. It scratched me, my dad, my grandma, my whole family. I was looking at this cat for nine years, and it was neutered. And it was hyperactive. It was aggressive. Conclusion: If your cat was born to be hyperactive, spaying it will make no difference. I may be young, but I have spent my whole life with cats and I know they don’t probably like it. This cat R.I.P in 2008, and I had spent my time in these 4 years in cat shelters to help them. They were all spayed, and it makes no difference, because they are all unwanted. 40 Freaking cats were spayed and abandoned in ONE street. I ask you, HOW THE HELL DOES SPAYING MAKE A DIFFERENCE? You think that your cat may get run over by a car if you don’t spay it, but if you had a child with a mental disorder and ignorant to world dangers, you would NEVER dream of spaying an innocent child. Same with cats. They are just entering puberty, I wouldn’t like MY life to be ruined just to shut me up from looking for a boyfriend. Put your feet in their paws, wont you? Stop being so selfish, wont you? This is all I have to say. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/31 "2012-06-23T20:51:58Z")
I’m finally seeing the drawbacks to letting Google bots index the boards. ---
**Author:** ![steviep24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@steviep24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steviep24)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/32 "2012-06-23T21:01:54Z")
Maybe they become zombies? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/33 "2012-06-23T21:09:38Z")
Forget it jake it’s zombietown ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/34 "2012-06-23T21:31:07Z")
zombie or no “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.” ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/35 "2012-06-23T21:45:07Z")
Dog person here: spaying does not seem to change female personality at all. There are some health risks – urinary incontinence being one, but I don’t think they are common enough to make a difference in the decision. I’ve neutered three male dogs at four and five years of age. It does change their personality – in regards to other male dogs and female dogs in heat. Otherwise, not discernable. If they protected you before, they’ll still protect you. There is one reason to keep an intact animal, and that is because you intend to breed it. Speaking as someone involved in livestock herding with dogs, if you need a specific kind of dog (and the inherited talent for herding livestock is extremely specific), you have to select for it. And no, getting a dog out of the pound which looks like a Border Collie is not going to cut it. Otherwise, for the vast majority of dogs, surgery is the way to go. It is more common than not for rural people who use dogs for herding livestock, to keep all their dogs intact, even if they don’t intend to breed them. There are some oops litters but these dogs are under a lot of control. I’m guessing that there are other dog subcultures in which this is true too. ---
**Author:** ![Jaypool\_the\_Great](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@Jaypool\_the\_Great](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaypool_the_Great)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/36 "2012-06-24T15:03:26Z")
Its not fair. The human population far exceeds the cat population. Besides, there are probably much more human orphans than cats in cat shelters out there. If cats get neutered, why don’t we just CUT EVERYBODY’S BALLS AND OVARIES?! NO! We don’t. We are mature and civilized enough to realize 100 years ago castrating humans is not right. Why is neutering cats so “normal”, then? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/37 "2012-06-24T15:33:09Z")
There are lots of things that wouldn’t be right if done to humans but which aren’t at all problematic when applied to animals. Ownership, for example. Or breeding programs. Or slaughtering for meat. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/38 "2012-06-24T15:37:27Z")
> [@Jaypool\_the\_Great](#): > > Its not fair. The human population far exceeds the cat population. Besides, there are probably much more human orphans than cats in cat shelters out there. If cats get neutered, why don’t we just CUT EVERYBODY’S BALLS AND OVARIES?! NO! We don’t. We are mature and civilized enough to realize 100 years ago castrating humans is not right. Why is neutering cats so “normal”, then? Nothing “normal” about either one. Neutering pets has to become more widespread because humans are stupid, careless and shortsighted and let their animals breed without taking responsibility for the offspring. The burgeoning human population is a product of exactly the same qualities, emphasis on the shortsighted. We happen to lack the political will to address the latter problem, that’s all. Mass sterilization of human beings is a much cheerier prospect than what is actually going to happen as we continue to vastly exceed the carrying capacity of our planet. No, I’m not a misanthropic pessimist who is way off topic, why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/39 "2012-06-24T18:50:46Z")
Our female black Lab, far from being a zombie post-spaying, demonstrates the same insane/devil-possessed traits that she did before surgery (for instance, running manically in tight circles when overstimulated/frustrated/overcome by loony impulses). The only difference I ever noticed after neutering any of our beasts was that our male spaniel stopped lifting his leg on indoor furniture, items of clothing etc. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007/40 "2012-06-24T19:11:07Z")
> [@sylphishone](#): > > Male cats are much more likely to get feline urological syndrome if they are neutered too early. That’s not a reason to not have them altered, it’s a reason to choose carefully WHEN to have them altered. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disadvantages-to-spaying-neutering-a-dog-cat/189007.md?page=3)