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Should I Get My Cat Neutered

Is Early Spay/neuter Associated With Orthopedic Problems

When to spay or neuter your cat

Three fairly recent articles discuss orthopedic concerns associated with early neutering of large breed dogs. These articles have led to confusion about the appropriateness of and age at which spay/neuter surgery should be performed.16-18 These articles were published in open access journals and have generated questions from veterinarians and the general public. With regard to these articles, 2 key points should be considered. First, the articles focus on large breed dogs, and their findings should not be extrapolated to cats. Second, no similar studies have found a relationship between spay/neuter and orthopedic conditions in cats.

How Can I Help My Kitten Recover After Neutering

The anaesthetic will probably make your kitten drowsy for the rest of the day, but they should bounce back the next morning. They may feel a little uncomfortable for a few days, but your vet will give painkillers to help ease this.

Some kittens ignore their surgical wound, but others try to scratch, chew or lick the scar or stitches, putting them at risk of infection or re-opening the incision. If your kitten wont leave their wound alone, they should wear a buster collar, bodysuit or lick-proof dressing until the skin has healed.

After neutering, keep your kitten indoors until their wound is healed and youve had the all-clear from your vet usually a few days for male kittens and up to a fortnight for females. If you notice any blood, pus, redness or swelling around the surgery site, contact your vet straightaway.

What About Water And Food

Once your cat gets home from the vet, you should give him water. The amount should be minimal to avoid vomiting. Only keep a small amount of water in a bowl and then top it off when necessary. When your cat is awake and alert, you should offer one-fourth to a half portion of his normal food intake. If he vomits, you need to take away the remainder of the food. Avoid offering food again until the following morning.

The day after surgery, give your cat regular amounts of water and food. Since the anesthetics can make your cat a bit nauseous, its normal if he does not eat right away. But if your feline friend isnt drinking or eating normally 48 hours after surgery, you need to consult your vet immediately.

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Reduces Risk Of Certain Diseases

Spaying a female cat can help reduce the risk of pyometra and tumors of the mammary glands. Neutering male cats can help prevent the spread of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and Feline Leukemia Virus. Male cat sterilization lessens their predisposition to go into a fight with other cats. This helps them stay protected against these viruses.

Why Should I Spay Or Neuter My Kitten

Spay And Neuter

Kitten owners often ask us about spay and/or neuter procedures, the cost and reasons for spay and/or neuter. We recommend that all kittens that are not going to be bred be spayed or neutered both for their own health and to prevent overpopulation.

The Basics

Neutering is a term that simply means to remove the reproductive organs. In females the term is spay and the uterus and ovaries are removed. In males the term is castration and the testicles are removed.

Today this is safe, routine, preventative care. We use the most modern anesthetic protocols and monitoring equipment to minimize anesthetic/surgical risk. We provide pain management before, during and after surgery. We perform blood tests to ensure normal organ function prior to administering anesthesia, and we deliver fluids during all surgical procedures to maintain blood pressure and hydration status.

Animals are admitted to the hospital between 8 and 9 am and are discharged between 3 and 5:30pm. We want to ensure our patients are all wide awake before going home.

Overpopulation

The animal population is exploding. Each year millions of unwanted pets are born and then euthanized. This is a tragic and preventable situation.

Humane Society of the United States Pet Overpopulation Estimates

The Biggest Myth: Its Too Expensive

Factor in any additional cost for treating diseases that do not occur in neutered pets and the cost of neutering, by comparison, is minimal.

Other Myths:

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Whens The Best Time To Have My Kitten Neutered

Ideally, you should have your kitten neutered around puberty in male cats, this is between six to twelve months old. Male cats tend to reach sexual maturity, and therefore begin looking for a mate, between seven and twelve months old. Neutering can be done successfully from as young as three months. Your veterinarian will be able to advise you on the best time for your kitten.

Are There Benefits Of Getting Your Female Cat Spayed

Getting your cat spayed will prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which can be highly fatal in cats. Beyond that, its cost effective and will help both of you live in harmony together. She wont go into heat every three weeks and ruin your rug, and shell be less likely to wake you up meowing at the top of her lungs for a male companion.

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Determining If A Cat Is Already Neutered Or Spayed

Individuals who are thinking of adopting a cat should make sure that the feline is already neutered or spayed. If the kitty comes from the shelter, some can tell you if the cat is already neutered or not yet. If they cannot, then you should be able to determine for yourself the neutered status of the cat.

Determining if a female cat is already spayed or not is a lot more challenging. There are, however, some neutering programs that snip the female cats ear upon spaying. Some may also put a blue-green marking at the site of the surgical incision. If you do not see these markers, then you will have to observe the cat for characteristic behaviors of an intact female. Look for loud yowling and other behavioral cues. The best approach will be to ask a veterinarian to check the status of the female cats reproductive organs.

Kittens can get neutered or spayed as early as 6 weeks of age, provided they already weigh at least 2.2 lbs. Advances in veterinary surgery now make it possible to safely remove a young cats reproductive organs at an earlier age.

During The Cat Spay Recovery Time

Why You Should Spay and Neuter Your Cats & Dogs

A day or two of quiet behavior and diminished appetite is the typical feline reaction to having her insides exposed and her crucial reproductive bits removed. In fact, most cats seem more affected by the sedative effects of the anesthetics and pain relievers than by pain. Research into modern cat pain relief techniques confirms this observation.

Common cat spay recovery signs include:

  • Sleeping more often

  • âZoned-outâ appearance if particularly affected by medications

Less common possibilities may require veterinary intervention. These include:

  • Redness or odor at the suture line

  • Walking with a hunch-back appearance more than a day after the procedure

  • Lack of appetite after the first day

  • Extreme lethargy at any point beyond the first twelve hours

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What Are The Health Effects Of Spaying Or Neutering A Cat

Of course, while spaying or neutering procedures are routine and considered safe, risk cannot be totally eliminated from every surgical or medical procedure. For example, cats who have been spayed or neutered do tend to gain weight if their diets are not adjusted accordingly. Neutered male cats are also at increased risk for developing urinary blockages.

The benefits of neutering or spaying almost always outweigh the risks. However, you should always ask your vet which choices are best for your pet.

How Will Spaying Affect My Cats Diet

As soon as your cat has been spayed, youll start to notice changes in their behaviorincluding their feeding habits. Their appetite can increase by 20-25%, but their actual energy expenditure reduces by 30%. This means its very easy for your queen to overeat and store the extra energy as fat. If you decide to spay your cat while they’re still a kitten, they will still be growing and therefore needs a food that supports this without encouraging them to put on weight unnecessarily. Specific food, formulated for spayed/neutered kittens, is one of the best things to feed them at this point.

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Cats With One Or Two Retained Testicles

If your cat has one or two retained testicles , a surgical incision may be made in multiple locations.

Sutures are often used to close the abdomen after the testicle are removed. Non-dissolvable skin sutures will require removal in 10-14 days, while intradermal sutures will dissolve on their own with time.

An E-collar or recovery bodysuit may be used to prevent licking or chewing the incision after surgery. Sutures can become itchy to many cats following surgery, and even if your cat doesnt start chewing at the incision right away, they may as time progresses.

Enforce any activity restrictions from your veterinarian to ensure proper healing.

When To Neuter A Cat And When To Spay A Cat

Why Should I Get my Cat Spayed or Neutered?

Shes your personal welcome home party, your purring pillow companion and your little lap warmer on a cold winters night. As a responsible pet owner, you want to keep her healthy and safe and thats where spaying comes in. In this post, well reveal when to neuter a cat, when to spay a cat, why neutering and spaying are so important and how to help your kitty stay healthy after a neutering or spaying procedure.

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Neutered Pets Are Happier At Home

One of the reasons neutered tomcats live so much longer is that they are less likely to wander away from home and fight with other male cats. Neutering stops the production of testosterone. This hormone causes aggressive behavior.

The same can be said for neutered dogs. They are less likely to roam in order to find a mate and end up being hit by a car or in a fight with another dog.

Is It Healthy To Neuter A Cat

Benefits of Neutering : Reduces or eliminates risk of spraying and marking. Less desire to roam, therefore less likely to be injured in fights or auto accidents. Risk of testicular cancer is eliminated, and decreases incidence of prostate disease. Reduces number of unwanted cats/kittens/dogs/puppies.

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Early Spay/neuter In Animal Shelters

Ensuring that all cats are spayed or neutered before adoption eliminates the risk of adopted animals producing more kittens. Many shelters will not spay/neuter kittens that weigh less than 2 pounds or are younger than 8 weeks other shelters, however, will do so provided that the kittens are healthy, active, and in good body condition .

Figure 2. Pediatric patient undergoing spay.

Why Should I Spay Or Neuter My Cat

When should you neuter your kitten? Spaying & Neutering Explained

Simply put, neutered cats stay safer, tend to experience fewer health problems and dont produce unwanted kittens. Undesirable behaviours like spraying, nervousness, roaming, demanding behaviour and noisiness are reduced or eliminated even in adult cats.

Other reasons to neuter or spay include:

  • Reduced fighting and straying
  • Reduced risk of feline leukemia and feline AIDS
  • Spayed female cats have a lower risk of uterine infection
  • Spayed female cats develop mammary cancer less often
  • Neutered cats develop hormonal imbalances less often

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How Can You Help Your Cat Before And After Surgery

Most vets ask that your cat not eat or drink for up to 12 hours before surgery to reduce the likelihood of vomiting during the procedure. If your cat goes outdoors or isnt a fan of their cat carrier, consider keeping them indoors so you can easily collect them before the surgery.

A cat spay is generally 30 minutes to an hour, depending on her age and where she is in her heat cycle and the competency of the surgeon, while uncomplicated cat neuter can be done in under five minutes. Cryptorchid cat neuters will take longer and may cost more.

Surgery hurts, so pain medication should be sent home with your cat. When you take your furry friend home, they will be recovering from surgery, so they will need you to monitor them regularly for several days after the surgery.

When you get home, be sure to:

  • Provide your cat with a quiet place to recover indoors and away from other animals.
  • Prevent your cat from running and jumping for up to two weeks following surgery, or as long as your veterinarian recommends.
  • Prevent your cat from licking the incision site, which may cause infection. A cone may be placed on their head to prevent licking.
  • Give all pain medications as prescribed, even if your cat seems fine.
  • Avoid bathing your pet for at least 14 days after surgery.
  • Check the incision site daily to confirm proper healing. If you notice redness, swelling, odor, or discharge, or if your cat has a fever or is acting sick in any way, call your vet.

Help Prevent Unwanted Kitty Litters

Spaying and neutering are two of the most common surgeries for cats, and both help to prevent undesired kitty pregnancies and possible reproductive health issues. Plus, they may even reduce some upsetting-to-humans cat behaviors, like urine spraying and yowling.

Benefits of spaying or neutering your cat

Spaying your girl cat when shes a kitten means your kittyBAE wont have litter after litter of unwanted kittens. Shes no longer at risk for uterine infections and has a much lower chance of girl-part cancers. Plus, she wont go into heat. This makes it more likely shell stay safely at home instead of prowling for a potential mate, or screeching from the top of your fence at night every three weeks.

Neutering your boy cat also has potential behavior upsides. Neutered boy cats may stop spraying jetting out pee around the house to mark their territory. It can also help prevent your boyBAE from catting around on the streets for female cats in heat, which can mean fewer cat fights and a lowered risk from predators and cars.

How spaying and neutering works

You can spay or neuter your cat at any age, but we recommend the procedure when your kitten is anywhere from 12 weeks to 6 months old. Kittens typically recover quickly, and usually get back to romping with a minimum of fuss.

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Thinking About Having Just One Litter

If youre not a registered breeder whos completed health testing of both parents and has rights to breed, you need to alter them.

This article was not written to encourage you to breed a cat that youre hesitant to spay or neuter! This article was written to encourage you to spay/neuter per contract, in a timely manner. Besides breaking contract, being inexperienced and having a litter of kittens is not as easy or enjoyable as it may sound.

What would you do if your just once queen had trouble with delivery? If a kitten is stuck, or a placenta is not delivered, or the mother does not clean the baby and cut the cord, or if she shows zero interest in the kittens and leaves them to die? What if mom requires a C-section or develops an infection, leaving you with an expensive vet bill? What if you have to hand-rear the kittens, bottle feeding every 2 hours around the clock for 3 weeks? Weve had all of these things happen! If youre not a breeder and you have no male cat, please spay your female immediately and dont consider breeding her just once.

Reasons To Spay Your Female Cat

Is my cats neutering suture infected ?

1. No more kittens – A visit to any cat shelter should convince you that we dont need any more kittens brought into the world. Whats worse is that kittens as young as 5 months can become pregnant themselves and some will not be able to give birth naturally. The cost of a Cesarean is high and may happen unexpectedly so the next reason.

2. Reduces the chance of unexpected veterinary bills – Seriously, a C-section can cost a four-figure sum!

3. Reduces exposure to disease – Female cats in heat only have one thing on their mind, and theyll make sure every Tomcat in the neighborhood knows. Tomcats will flock from miles away and your usually well-behaved female kitten will make every effort to escape.

Tomcats can carry diseases such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and Feline Leukemia Virus due to promiscuous contact with other cats. Even if they dont pick up these diseases, your female cat may be exposed to cat flu viruses, which are unpleasant at best.

4. Reduces the risk of cancer and other diseases of the reproductive organsMammary cancer is reduced by 90% when a female cat is spayed at a young age. Mammary cancer is nearly always malignant in cats, so its vital to reduce the risk. To do this successfully, they need to be spayed before their first heat cycle, which can be as early as 5 months. Cancer of the reproductive system is rare but nasty, and the risk is eliminated by spaying.

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The Truth About Spaying Or Neutering Your Cat

An estimated 5 million to 8 million animals are euthanized in shelters across this country every year. Many organizations are working to decrease that number by opening low-cost spay/neuter clinics that will prevent more litters of cats that need homes. One such organization is LifeLine Animal Project, an Atlanta-based nonprofit shelter and clinic where more than 25,000 spaying and neutering procedures have been performed since 2005. Here, executive director Rebecca Guinn answers the most commonly asked questions about spaying and neutering cats.

Q: Why should I have my cat spayed or neutered?

A: Shelter euthanasia is the number one killer of companion animals. Spaying and neutering is the only way to reduce or eliminate that. Itâs also better for your petâs health. And having a cat thatâs spayed or neutered will make your life easier.

Q: Shouldnât I let my cat have a litter before I spay them?

A: No. It greatly reduces the risk of certain cancers if you have them spayed before the first heat and certainly before they have a litter.

Most places are overrun with kittens. There are millions of cats and kittens that need homes and millions more that are abandoned. There simply arenât enough homes for all the cats that get born every kitten season.

Q: Should I let my cat have a heat before I spay them?

Q: Is it OK to spay my cat when they are just a kitten?

Q: Donât cats get fat once you spay or neuter them?

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