Feline breast cancer is the third most common cancer among cats after lymphoma and skin cancer. In a 2005 study done at the University of Pennsylvania, “cats spayed prior to 6 months had a 91% reduction…those spayed prior to one year had an 86% reduction in the risk of mammary carcinoma development compared with intact cats.” While breast cancer in cats is more common than in humans, it is far less common than it is in dogs, but cats have the highest malignancy rate and the lowest survival rate of all three. That myth that “it’s good to let a cat have a litter of kittens” has no basis in fact, and can be a death sentence since spaying your cat before she even goes into heat the first time is the best way to avoid breast cancer, not to mention reducing the risks of injury and disease a cat faces while out carousing…not to mention a cat in heat is really annoying to have around. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, spay your little girl!
International Spay Day is February 24, but Romeo is yowling outside your door and Juliet’s not going to make it that long—have her spayed before she goes into her first heat for the season! A female cat in heat can outsmart even the most observant owner, and there are already enough kittens for everyone not to mention the health risks she might face while “catting around”. Spaying is also riskier and more expensive when a cat is in heat, so catch her before it starts. And as a bonus, spaying your little Juliet before age one significantly reduces her lifetime chances of developing breast cancer, the third most common cancer among cats, and spaying before six months reduces it even more. So celebrate International Spay Day with cats all over the world on February 24.