Why should I have
my cat spayed / neutered?
Males
Neutering,
or castration, offers a number of advantages, especially if
performed at an early age (4-9 months). Following puberty, at
approximately 8-9 months old, the male cat often develops a number
of undesirable behavioral changes. He will become territorial and
start to mark areas, even inside the house, by spraying urine, which
will have a particularly strong and difficult to remove odor. He
will start to enlarge his territory by straying ever farther from
the house, particularly at night. It is for this reason that many
cats hit by cars are non-neutered males. By increasing his territory
he will come into contact with other cats and fight for dominance.
Inflicted fight wounds can result in severe infections and
abscesses. Since diseases such as FIV and FeLV, which can cause
AIDS-like syndromes and cancers in cats, are spread through bites,
these cats are most commonly affected by such incurable diseases.
Finally, but not least, neutering prevents unwanted litters and the
needless deaths of kittens and cats.
The longer a tomcat sprays and
fights, the less likely neutering will stop it.
Females
Spaying, in female cats also
offers several advantages. Most obviously, it will prevent unplanned
litters. Once a cat reaches puberty (usually around 7 months), most
of the year the queen will be “in heat” for approximately one week
every two to three weeks until she is mated. During “heat” she may
display unsociable behavior such as loud and persistent crying and
frequent rubbing and rolling on the floor. Such behavior and her
scent will attract tomcats from miles around. This will be
eliminated by spaying. Finally, spaying will remove the risk of
uterine infection and cancer and reduces the risk of mammary tumors.
There is no medical reason for
allowing your cat to have a litter before she is spayed.
When should I have
my cat spayed / neutered?
In most cases, it is desirable to
spay / neuter pets before puberty, and it is customary to operate on
kittens at an early age. We recommend fixing your cat around 4-6
months old.
What does the
operation involve?
Both
male and female cats will undergo a general anesthetic. You will
need to withhold food for twelve (12) hours prior to surgery. Your
pet should have free access to water during the pre-operative
fasting period.
In male cats, both of the
testicles are removed through a small incision in the scrotum.
Stitches are rarely required in the skin.
In female cats, the operation is
performed through a relatively small incision made in the midline of
the abdomen. Both ovaries are removed along with the uterus.
Normally, skin stitches are used that will be removed after 14 days
after the surgery, unless absorbable material has been used.
What surgical
complications could arise?
In general,
complications are rare during spaying / neutering of kittens,
however, as with all surgical procedures, there is always a small
risk:
Anesthetic
complication
It is possible that any pet could
have an adverse reaction following the administration of any drug.
Such cases are impossible to predict, but are extremely rare.
One potential danger arises from
the cat not being fasted properly prior to anesthesia. It is
essential that all instructions are strictly followed.
In addition, any signs of illness
should be reported to your veterinarian prior to an operation.
Post-operative
infection
This may occur around the
incision and is usually caused by persistent licking by your pet. In
most cases the infection can be controlled with antibiotics. We
recommend using an e-collar (cone) to prevent your pet from getting
at the incision. To be effective, the E-collar must remain on your
pet at all times unless supervised.
Sinus formation
Although rare, occasionally the
body will react to certain types of suture material used during
surgery. This results in a weeping wound that may appear some days
or weeks after the surgery. Sometimes a second operation is required
to remove the offending material.
What adverse
affects might spaying / neutering have on my cat?
In the vast majority of
cases no adverse affects are noted following spaying / neutering.
