Desexing Your Cat
Deciding to have a much-loved kitten desexed is often a stressful time for a pet owner.
Cats are usually admitted to the hospital either on the morning of the operation, without breakfast, or if this is inconvenient on the evening before. The operation to castrate a male or to spey a female cat is performed under general anaesthesia. We consider our anaesthesia protocols and pain management plans used as the most advanced and safest available.
MALES
In males the area around the scrotum is clipped free of hair and both testes are completely removed; this eliminates the source of sperm and the main source of the male sex hormone, testosterone. The operation is performed under general anaesthesia and sterile conditions. Your kitten can go home on the evening of the operation and advise you to keep him indoors and quiet during that night. There are no sutures to be removed so there is no need for him to be returned to the hospital.
FEMALES
In the female, the abdomen is clipped free of hair, an incision is made along the midline of the abdomen, or sometimes on the flank for smaller females. Under general anaesthesia and sterile conditions, the ovaries and uterus are completely removed. This eliminates the possibility of having kittens, prevents her from coming into season, and prevents the development of infections of the uterus later in life.
Because both procedures are performed under general anaesthesia, the animals feel no pain during the operation. We use gold standard pain management plans at the time of Desexing to minimise any postoperative discomfort.
Your kitten can go home the same day, we ask you to keep an eye on the wound and to let us know if there is any problem with the surgery site such as swelling, discharge, or if she manages to chew any of the stitches out. These complications are unlikely but do occasionally occur and we encourage you to contact us if you have any concerns at all. Otherwise she may be allowed to behave fairly normal in the period after discharge.
The skin sutures need to be removed 10 to 14 days after the surgery; there is no charge for this consultation.
BEST AGE FOR DESEXING
The best age to desex a cat is when they have matured enough physically to allow safe anaesthesia for the procedure to be performed. It is also best that they have not reached an age where they are fertile and may also develop anti-social habits such as marking their territory. The laws have also changed over the last few years, and it is required that all cats be registered and desexed by 4 months of age. Because of these factors we now recommend Desexing cats at approximately 3.5 months of age, a couple of weeks before their final kitten vaccination at 4 months of age.
Advantages of Desexing your cat:
- a decreased tendency to roam, fight with other cats and the development of abscesses
- a decreased likelihood of picking up diseases such as flu, leukemia and the FIV virus (which can lead to feline AIDS) from other cats
- a decreased likelihood of developing habits such as spraying around the house in males
- prevention of the development of unpleasant odours which are associated with male sex hormones in female cats,
- the avoidance of multiple pregnancies which can result in a cat becoming very thin and her general health deteriorating
- preventing a contribution to the stray pet population
- reduced incidence of breast cancer and uterine infections in females
We hope that this answers any queries you may have. If you have any other concerns, please feel free to speak with any of our friendly GVH staff
