J Johnson1, M C Calver. 1. School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia; Cat Welfare Society Inc., Shenton Park, WA, Australia. m.calver@murdoch.edu.au.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Desexing percentages for pet cats in Australia are nearly 95%, but the high numbers of unwanted kittens surrendered to animal shelters suggest that many pet cats breed before the owners consider desexing, or that the mothers of many of these kittens are stray or feral. METHODS AND RESULTS: A convenience sample of Western Australian pet cats of known age presented for microchipping (584 in 2012 and 316 in 2013) found that younger cats were less likely to be desexed. In 2012, 93.2% of cats aged ≥2 years were desexed compared with 49.4% of cats <2 years old, with the data for 2013 being 97.4% and 28%, respectively. CONCLUSION: If these results are reflected nationally, desexing of prepubescent cats up to 4 months old could significantly reduce the numbers of unwanted kittens born to pet cats.
BACKGROUND: Desexing percentages for pet cats in Australia are nearly 95%, but the high numbers of unwanted kittens surrendered to animal shelters suggest that many pet cats breed before the owners consider desexing, or that the mothers of many of these kittens are stray or feral. METHODS AND RESULTS: A convenience sample of Western Australian pet cats of known age presented for microchipping (584 in 2012 and 316 in 2013) found that younger cats were less likely to be desexed. In 2012, 93.2% of cats aged ≥2 years were desexed compared with 49.4% of cats <2 years old, with the data for 2013 being 97.4% and 28%, respectively. CONCLUSION: If these results are reflected nationally, desexing of prepubescent cats up to 4 months old could significantly reduce the numbers of unwanted kittens born to pet cats.
Authors: Catherine M Hall; Nigel A Adams; J Stuart Bradley; Kate A Bryant; Alisa A Davis; Christopher R Dickman; Tsumugi Fujita; Shinichi Kobayashi; Christopher A Lepczyk; E Anne McBride; Kenneth H Pollock; Irene M Styles; Yolanda van Heezik; Ferian Wang; Michael C Calver Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-04-06 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Michael C Calver; Heather M Crawford; Fiona R Scarff; J Stuart Bradley; Peter Dormon; Samantha Boston; Patricia A Fleming Journal: Animals (Basel) Date: 2022-09-05 Impact factor: 3.231