# Should I get my cat spayed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208 "2003-10-18T16:50:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acco40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Acco40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acco40)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/1 "2003-10-18T16:50:36Z")
I have an indoor cat. Is getting her spayed really necessary? Are there any negatives associated either way? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/2 "2003-10-18T16:54:08Z")
Yes, definitely get her spayed. Even if she stays indoors, you’ll have every randy male in the neighborhood trying to get into your house when he’s in heat. Plus, if she ever manages to escape, there’s the risk of her getting pregnant. We just had one spayed, and there were no complications (other than her still being pissed off at me and not letting me near her for now). ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/3 "2003-10-18T16:55:15Z")
Yes, you should get her spayed. Can you guarantee that she will never manage to escape? If she does, do you want to be the one taking care of a litter of kittens? Also, if you’d like to see some other reasons, check [here](http://www.yolospca.org/info/benefits.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/4 "2003-10-18T16:55:19Z")
When **s** he’s in heat… ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/5 "2003-10-18T17:01:22Z")
If you don’t, then when she goes into heat, you’ll wish you had. When one of our went into heat a little earlier than most, she meowed most of the time–including nights, making it hard for us to get any sleep. We had been planning to get her spayed anyway; we just had to move that project up on the schedule. In addition to the other reasons listed here, to keep yourself from sleepless nights and incessant meowing when she does go into heat, I would strongly recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/6 "2003-10-18T17:31:27Z")
Yes, nothing is more annoying than a female cat in heat. I’ve also read somewhere, but can’t account for its veracity: unspayed girl kitties who never get pregnant are more prone to disorders of the reproductive organs. Your cat will be healthier. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/7 "2003-10-18T17:33:59Z")
Getting your cat spayed is good for her. It reduces her risk of mammary tumors, as well as eliminating the risk of uterine or ovarian tumors. Cats don’t often get pyometra, but it’s bad, bad news when they do. Then, of course, there’s the risk of unwanted kittens in an unspayed female and the annoyances of dealing with a cat in heat. Cats in heat don’t meow, they _yowl_. Constantly. For a week or two at a time. They try to escape. Their homes are surrounded by yowling tomcats trying to break in. They rub their asses against everyone and everything in sight. It’s horrid, and cats cycle in and out of heat every couple of months till they get bred. Trust me, unless your cat has some type of health issues that make anesthesia dangerous, you’re both much better off with her spayed than intact. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/8 "2003-10-18T18:44:45Z")
Yes. Any other questions? ---
**Author:** ![Acco40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Acco40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acco40)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/9 "2003-10-18T19:15:00Z")
Damn! I’m sold. Thanks for the input all! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-my-cat-spayed/208208/10 "2003-10-18T21:03:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Acco40 \* > \*\*Damn! I’m sold. > > Thanks for the input all! \*\* In fact, having read these replies, are you sure you really want to have a cat at all? 😉