Will My Cats Personality Change After Being Fixed
Other than the previously mentioned behavior changes, spaying or neutering your cat is unlikely to change his or her basic personality, though male cats may become more docile following neutering. Cats playfulness and general levels of activity, excitement, and vocalization do not typically change following spay/neuter surgery.
What Are The Cons Of Neutering Cats
- Permanent sterilization. Neutering your cat means that they will no longer be able to reproduce. If you are thinking of breeding your fur friend, you may want to consider waiting to spay or neuter them.
- Weight gain. An unneutered cat will use up a lot of energy seeking out a mate, marking their territory, and, in the case of female cats, carrying and birthing kittens. When your cat is neutered, they will no longer expend the same energy and will be more sedentary and prone to weight gain. This is why a feeding schedule and daily playtime are so important to keep your neutered cat active and healthy.
Now that youve considered the pros and cons of neutering your cat, why not check out our blog posts on the essentials of daily cat care and tips on how to be a pawsome fur parent to your furry friend!
What Is Cat Neutering
Neutering means surgically preventing cats from reproducing. In males, the operation is called castration and in females its called spaying.
With castration both testicles are removed which takes away the main source of the male hormone testosterone. With spaying, both the ovaries and the uterus are removed which means the female is unable to become pregnant.
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Spay And Neuter Basics
Whether you are spaying your female or neutering your male cat, the sterilization process is done under general anesthesia and intubation. Your veterinarian will also monitor your cats vitals during the procedure.
Sterilization surgery is much quicker for male cats. Spaying involves the vet making an incision in the abdomen and completely removing the ovaries and uterus. They then close the incision with subcutaneous sutures and then glue, staples or sutures externally. During the neutering process, the vet will make an incision in the scrotum and remove the testicles. Unlike female surgery, the incision is not as invasive and heals faster.
Summary Of Spaying A Cat
In almost all cases, spaying your cat is the right choice. Unless you plan to breed your cat responsibly, spaying provides health benefits and helps keep cat populations in check. Additionally spaying your cat helps fix undesirable behaviors like being excessively vocal, roaming and marking territory.
Spaying your cat is a rather quick and uncomplicated surgery and your cat will typically make a fast recovery with proper after care. If you have any questions about if spaying your cat is the right choice, our veterinary team is here to help.
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Why Its Important To Spay Your Female Kitten
1. Heats are unpleasant to experience
An unfixed female will go into heat repeatedly until impregnated. Her heat could last 1-2 weeks, and sometimes theres little to no break between heats. Depending on the time of year and your temperature controlled, artificially lit home, she could be in heat almost constantly.
Its very unpleasant to watch your poor girl roll around and scream incessantly in desperation to be bred. Youll want to use earplugs for a couple of weeks and will want to do anything to make it stop. Many females spray just as much as males, too.
Youll also have to guard the doors and windows, as shell be desperate to escape in order to find a male.
2. Unaltered female + no pregnancy = deadly infection
Every time a female cat goes into heat, her body is preparing itself for kittens. The uterus wall will thicken in preparation for pregnancy. If shes not impregnated, the uterus becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, and can quickly turn into a life-threatening condition called pyometra, which is an infection of the uterus.
If its open pyometra , you will see pus or discharge and should bring her to the vet immediately. They may be able to do an emergency spay and save her. But if its closed, the infection is trapped inside and youll have little to no warning. The uterus could rupture or the infection could spread throughout her body, and she could go from being fine to on deaths doorstep in a matter of days.
What To Feed Your Cat After Spay Surgery
Your cat should be interested in food after surgery, although it may take 12-24 hours for her appetite to return after anesthesia and the stress of the procedure.
Continue to feed your cat according to your veterinarians instructions. If you are concerned about your cats appetite, please contact your veterinarian, as some oral medications can cause decreased appetite and nausea .
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What Age Can Cats Be Neutered
Cats become sexually mature from the age of around five months. In order to prevent unwanted pregnancies, its recommended that cats are neutered at around four months old, after they have completed their primary vaccinations. Some vets still recommend spaying at five or six months and its quite safe to neuter older cats.
Pros & Cons Of Spaying & Neutering Cats
Its time to start thinking about spaying or neutering your cat. But, you are not quite sure if it is the right thing to do. If youre wondering whether you should just leave your cat as nature intended, consider the positive and negative aspects of spaying and neutering before making your decision.
Spaying The Positive Side
Spaying removes the risk of pregnancy.
Pet overpopulation is a serious problem and by allowing your cat to have litters, you are adding to the problem. Finding homes for your new family additions is not as easy as you may think. Even if you choose to keep the kittens, you will have the additional cost of vaccines, parasite control, toys and food for several pets. In addition to costs, the health of the mother can be in jeopardy during delivery. Some new mothers can have serious complications delivering kittens and can even develop health problems during nursing. All these potential problems can be avoided by spaying your cat.
Spaying makes for a calmer cat.
Without the drive to mate, your cat may be quieter and wont be prone to cat calls and the incessant need to seek out a mate. The spayed pet no longer attracts males and their annoying advances and serenades. Spayed cats are also easier to get along with. They tend to be more gentle and affectionate.
Spaying keeps your cat healthier.
Spaying The Negative Side
Spaying means sterilization.
Spaying may cause weight gain.
Neutering The Positive Side
Neutering removes the risk of pregnancy.
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What Happens After The Surgery
Some people worry that their cats personality will change. This isnt true but you might see a fall in certain behaviour roaming, mounting, fighting or spraying urine.
People also worry that their pet will get fat. Neutered animals might have slightly lower food requirements so you just need to feed them a little less.
What Is Spaying A Cat
Spaying is a sterilization procedure that eliminates your cats ability to go into heat and reproduce. There are two types of sterilization techniques used by veterinarians: ovariectomy and ovariohysterectomy . In the United States and Canada, veterinarians traditionally perform an ovariohysterectomy, while many veterinarians in Europe perform an ovariectomy. Both surgeries are equally safe and effective.
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When Should I Spay/neuter My Cat Or Kitten
In previous years, theres been a lot of debate on the proper timing of feline spays and neuters. So much so, that if you lined up 5 vets and asked them, you may get 5 different answers. This debate can lead to confusion and a reluctance to go ahead with the procedure. If you have previously owned a cat, the advice now is probably different from when you last asked.
A recent report by leading veterinarians has persuaded many governing veterinary bodies to call for neutering before 5 months of age. This is the time before kittens reach sexual maturity and holds the best chance of avoiding the problems listed above. For further reading on this, check out the Feline Fix by Five website.
What Is The Best Age To Neuter A Male Kitten
When a cat is five months old, it is the ideal time to suck on and neuter it. Cats in shelters should be at least 8 weeks old, while owners should be able to keep their cats at 4 to 5 months.
Should You Neuter Your Male Cat?
Many people believe that neutering a male cat changes his or her personality, despite the fact that the procedure is frequently used to reduce aggression and tom- oyoration in cats. Despite this, neutering a cats personality does not change their basic personality instead, they change their behavior, which is all that is changed. In fact, neutered cats are happier and more relaxed, as they are no longer concerned about being territorial or being chased by other cats. Neutering, like spaying, can be a low-cost procedure that will save both cats and their owners a lot of time and hassle. It is critical to consider all options before making a decision about neutering, but neutering is the most effective way to reduce the number of homeless cats and prevent them from becoming feral cats.
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Is There An Optimal Age For Cat Spay Or Neuter
Philip A. Bushby
DVM, MS, DACVS
Dr. Bushby, a 1972 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, is a board-certified surgeon who has served on the MSU faculty for 42 years. He established the MSU CVM shelter program and is a frequent speaker on efficient spay/neuter techniques. He was a member of the organizing committee for the shelter medicine specialty board, received the ASPCA Henry Berg Award in 2008, the AVMA Animal Welfare Award in 2012, and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians Meritorious Service Award in 2015.
Over the past several decades, the recommended age for spay or neuter of cats has changed. At one time, the recommended age for spay was after the female cat had a litter, then it changed to after the first heat cycle, and eventually the veterinary profession settled on 6 months of age or older. Given that cats reach sexual maturity at about 5 months of age, more and more people are advocating lowering the spay/neuter age to 4 to 5 months and support early spay/neuter in animal shelters. All of these varied recommendations lead one to question: is there an optimal age at which cats should be spayed/neutered?
- Eliminates reproductive emergencies such as pyometra and dystocia
- Prevents unintended pregnancies
- Potentially decreases behavioral problems linked with cat relinquishment
Do It For Their Health
Spaying and neutering will improve your cats health, reduce the risk of health problems, and should be done as early as possible. Spaying/Neutering early will:
- Prevent diseases of the uterus, ovaries and testes
Having the operation when young means:
- Shorter operation time
- Better intra-abdominal visualization for the surgeon
- Faster recovery period for your pet
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Why Should I Have My Cat Spayed
It is recommended that all non-breeding cats be sterilized. Several health benefits are associated with spaying your cat. First, spaying eliminates the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers. Second, breast cancer is the number one type of cancer diagnosed in intact female cats. If your cat is spayed before her first heat cycle, there is less than ½ of 1% chance of developing breast cancer. With every subsequent heat cycle, the risk of developing breast cancer increases. After about 2½ years of age, ovariohysterectomy offers no protective benefit against developing breast cancer.
Unspayed female cats also carry the risk of developing pyometra a fatal condition of the uterus that requires surgery to treat.
Finally, cats with diabetes or epilepsy should be spayed to prevent hormonal changes that may interfere with medications.
How To Keep The Spay Incision From Opening Or Getting Infected
Opening of your cats incision could lead to medical issues that may require emergency attention. You should call your veterinarian immediately if you notice any:
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Opening of the incision
A small amount of blood-tinged discharge and mild redness at the incision line is normal up to 24 hours after spay surgery. Continue to give your cat all prescribed medications.
On average, sutures will remain in place for 10-14 days, which is the amount of time it takes a cat to heal after being spayed.
Do Not Let Your Cat Lick the Incision
Cats licking their incision is one of the leading causes of infections and premature suture removal. An E-collar or bodysuit will be required for your cat after spaying surgery to protect the incision site and prevent her from licking her sutures.
Do Not Let Your Cat Do High-Impact Activities
The second leading cause of opening an incision is increased activity or movement after spay surgery. Sutures will stay closed if your cat is only doing normal, low-impact movements.
Jumping, running, and playing with other cats are high-impact activities that can cause the sutures to rupture. Typically, activity restrictions are in place for at least 10-14 days after surgery.
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Spayed Pets Don’t Go Into Heat
If they aren’t spayed, cats will go into heat at around 6 months of age. They will stay in heat for an average of 6 days. The cycle of heat repeats every 3 weeks on average during their season. When they are in heat, cats become very vocal and demanding. They may bleed and even spray urine.
Dogs generally only go into heat twice a year. They also bleed and urinate excessively during their cycle. Spaying prevents your pet from ever going into heat and exhibiting these behaviors.
What Is The Difference Between Spaying And Neutering
When we discuss getting a companion animal ‘fixed’, we are using a blanket term that refers to both the spaying of femal animals and the neutering of male animals.
Spaying Female Cats
When we spay a cat, the uterus and ovaries, or occasionally just the ovaries, of the female cat are surgically removed.
After the spaying procedure has been done, she will not be able to have kittens.
Neutering Male Cats
Neutering involves removing the male cat’s testicles.
When your male cat is neutered, he will be unable to father kittens.
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Benefits Of Neutering Your Male Cat
Population Control
While male cats don’t actually have kittens themselves, one unneutered male cat in your neighborhood can make many female cats pregnant. That’s why neutering male cats is as important as spaying females when it comes to population control!
Health Issues
Neutering your male cat may help slow the spread of serious cat diseases such as Feline immunodeficiency virus and Feline leukemia virus that are often spread between cats during fights. Neutering can help to reduce cat aggression and may mean fewer injuries from fighting. Neutered males also tend to stay closer to home which helps to reduce their risk of being injured by vehicles.
Deter Undesirable Behaviors
Unneutered male cats typically spray inside the home more than neutered males and may be aggressive towards their owners. Having your male kitten neutered while young can help to prevent these behaviors from starting. Also, male cats who are not neutered, frequently roam over large areas in search of unspayed females to mate with. These males will spray to mark their territory and often fight with other male cats which can be bothersome, noisy, and smelly.
When Is The Best Time To Spay Or Neuter Your Cat
Reviewed by Dr. Sarah Wooten, DVM.
Getting a new feline friend is exciting with so much to check off your checklist. To make sure they live a long and happy life, you want to make sure your kitty is as healthy as can be. If youre welcoming a new cat into your home, you might be wondering whether or not its time to spay/neuter them.
While both are common procedures, there are a number of misconceptions about them. In this article, well walk you through the benefits of spay/neuter surgery, the best time to do it, and how to get started.
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It Can Save Your Cats Life
Spaying virtually eliminates the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer in female cats, while neutering virtually eliminates the risk of testicular and other reproductive cancers in male cats. Additionally, spaying decreases the risk of breast cancer in cats especially if shes spayed before 6 months of age, Dr. Hohenhaus said. All this can add years to your cats life.
At What Age Can My Cat Be Spayed
The traditional age for spaying is six months, however, this practice has enabled kittens to be adopted from shelters unspayed. Often the new owner fails to return for spaying and the result is further contribution to the pet over-population problem. The last twenty years has brought us a great deal of research into early spaying and we now know that there is no problem with spaying as early as 8 weeks of age. Some hospitals find such tiny tissues difficult to manipulate and like to spay female patients when they weigh at least 3.5 to 4 pounds.
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How Can I Arrange To Spay Or Neuter My Cat
To get your cat spayed or neutered, make an appointment with your local veterinarian. Most vets require at least one pre-op appointment before the big day. Dont feed your cat the night before the procedure, but do give her water. On the morning of the operation, remove the water, too.
Spaying and neutering doesnt usually involve an overnight stay. Most of the time, youll drop your cat off with the vet in the morning, and youll pick her back up again in the afternoon. Then its home for a little TLC.