Neutering Affects Animals Personalities
Most recent answer: 10/22/2007
Q:
If you neurter an animal (like a cat or dog), does that affect the personality? If so, how?
- Carissa (age 15)
TASIS, Switzerland
- Carissa (age 15)
TASIS, Switzerland
A:
There is a great deal of debate on this question, but the general
consensus is that yes, this can affect the cat or dogs personality. It
depends on how old they are though. If you neuter an animal, you are
taking away a source of hormones from its body. (In a male, its called
testosterone, in a female, estrogen). These hormones affect the
animals personality.
In a male dog, testosterone makes them agressive, it makes them defend their territory more against other animals, and it makes them more active, or energetic. When you neuter them, they become more quiet, less agressive, and in some cases they may gain a little weight because they are less active. In females, you dont see a change in personality as much, but they will not want to breed with other cats and they cant have kittens.
If the animal is older, it will have a larger effect, since the hormones have had more of a chance to get into and affect the body - there is more of a change when you take the hormones away. That is one of the reasons why it is best to neuter the animal when it is young.
-Kim-
In a male dog, testosterone makes them agressive, it makes them defend their territory more against other animals, and it makes them more active, or energetic. When you neuter them, they become more quiet, less agressive, and in some cases they may gain a little weight because they are less active. In females, you dont see a change in personality as much, but they will not want to breed with other cats and they cant have kittens.
If the animal is older, it will have a larger effect, since the hormones have had more of a chance to get into and affect the body - there is more of a change when you take the hormones away. That is one of the reasons why it is best to neuter the animal when it is young.
-Kim-
(published on 10/22/2007)