Owners often opt to have their pets spayed or neutered not only to prevent pregnancy, but to avoid undesirable sexual behaviors such as vocalizing in females and pungent marking in males. Spayed or neutered cats are calmer, less likely to roam, and live on average two times longer than cats that have not been spayed or neutered. There are, however, two side effects of this procedure. Caloric requirements decline, while at the same time, free feeding increases by 25% in males and 18% in females, resulting in an average weight gain of 26% in cats allowed to feed freely following spaying or neutering. This weight gain, which eventually leads to long-term obesity, is directly linked to the fat content of food. The higher the fat content, the more appetizing the food, and the more fattening. The cat consumes more food, and therefore more calories, while energy requirements have decreased. This excess energy is stored as fat. Obesity has several adverse health effects. Obese cats are four times more likely to develop diabetes mellitus, three times more likely to suffer from lameness, and two times more likely to have non-allergic skin disorders.
In addition to these common maladies, and as a result of increased life expectancy in spayed and neutered cats, sterilization has more long-term effects, such as increased frequency of urinary calculi (stones) (see Nutrition and Health). Therefore, a cat's diet should be modified following neutering or spaying. Fat content should be no more than 10%, and quantity should be controlled in order to avoid overeating.
In the weeks leading up to the surgery, the new diet can be introduced gradually to prepare the cat and avoid added stress. This adjustment in diet is necessary to reduce the risk of obesity.
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