Established health benefits include protection against some potentially serious diseases. Spaying female dogs and cats can prevent uterine infection and reduce the risk of breast cancer. Neutering males can eliminate their risk of testicular cancer and reduce their risk of developing enlarged prostate glands (known as benign prostatic hyperplasia)

Behavioural benefits relate directly to the decreases in certain sex hormones that occur after spaying or neutering. Removing a female dog or cat’s ovaries eliminates their heat cycles and generally reduces mating-related behaviors that may frustrate owners. Removing a male dog or cat’s testicles reduces their breeding instinct, resulting in less roaming and fewer urine-marking behaviours​.

For dogs: While the traditional age for neutering is six to nine months, healthy puppies as young as eight weeks old can be neutered. Dogs can be neutered as adults as well, although there’s a slightly higher risk of post-operative complications in older dogs, dogs that are overweight or dogs that have health problems.

For cats: It is generally considered safe for kittens as young as eight weeks old to be spayed or neutered. To potentially avoid the start of urine spraying and eliminate the chance for pregnancy, it’s advisable to schedule the surgery before your cat reaches five months of age. It’s possible to spay a female cat while she’s in heat.

Trap-Neuter-Return, or “TNR,” is the most humane and effective method known for managing feral and stray cats and reducing their numbers. The cats, who typically live together in a group called a colony, are trapped and brought to the veterinary clinic. They’re then spayed or neutered and ear tipped for immediate identification.  After they’ve recovered from their surgeries, the cats are returned back to their original territory where volunteers provide regular food and shelter.

Because the cats can no longer reproduce, the colony has the potential to decline in size over time. Spaying and neutering also greatly reduce nuisance behaviour. Once the cats are fixed, fighting, yowling and other noise associated with mating stops almost entirely. The foul odour caused by unaltered males spraying to mark territory disappears and the cats, no longer driven to mate, roam much less and become less visible. The cats themselves are healthier and less likely to spread feline diseases. Meanwhile, rodent control is maintained by the cats’ continued presence.

The importance of spaying and neutering cats is undeniable and there are programmes all around the world who work tirelessly to keep numbers under promoting with massive advertising campaigns and an army of volunteers on the ground.

The chart explains as clearly as possible how fast and big the reproduction rate of cats is. An entire female cat, her mate and all of their offspring producing 2 litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter can total 11,606,077 over a period of 9 year.

This is the very reason why stray cat population needs to be kept under control, and the only humane way to do it is via TNR programmes such as ours below.

Our Spay Cyprus programme is the oldest and largest one on the island. It is FREE OF CHARGE for all STRAY and FERAL cats.

An average of 25 cats per day are being spayed and/or neutered by ARC, totalling an average of 9125 cats per year.

Traps can be loaned from our reception in order to catch cats and for large collections a date and time can be arranged with our reception so the team is sent out.

The programme is free of charge, but donations are needed and welcomed as they keep the work going.