When Can I Get My Cat Fixed

Why Does My Cat Still Look Like They Have Testicles After Being Castrated

When a cat is castrated, the testicles are removed but the scrotum isnt. This means sometimes they look like they still have testicles after their operation. Over time the scrotum will shrink and become less noticeable. If you notice swelling or redness in your cats scrotum after their surgery, contact your vet for advice.

Spaying A Cat: Everything You Need To Know

Written bySmall Door’s medical experts

Making the decision to spay your cat can bring up lots of questions. What are the advantages of spaying your cat? When is the best time to spay? How do you care for your cat once shes been spayed? In this article, well discuss what you need to know to make this decision, as well as what you can do to prepare for your cats spaying.

In This Article

Common Cat Spaying/neutering Misconceptions

Some believe that sterilizing your cat can cause weight gain, but the reality is that your cat wont become overweight or less active after their spay or neuter surgery. Your cat will only gain weight if theyre overfed or dont exercise often. As long as you continue to provide opportunities for your cat to exercise and monitor their food intake, your pet will remain fit. Many animals stay active for years to come after their spay or neuter surgery, so you can rest assured that your furry companion wont lose their zest for life.

Another spay/neuter myth is that its a guaranteed fix for all behavioral problems, but this isnt true either. While your cats behavior will likely improve, theres no guarantee that their behavior will change drastically or that any negative habitual behaviors will go away. The effects of spaying or neutering your cat rely on your cats individual personality, but the procedure wont create any negative impact on their behavior.

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When Can I Get My Cat Spayed After Having Kittens

Veterinarians frequently perform surgical procedures such as spaying and neutering. These procedures keep cats from having litters of kittens. A female animals ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus are removed during spay surgery.

However, if you have a cat that just gave birth to kittens, you might wonder when you can get your cat spayed.

You can get your female cat spayed five and six weeks after delivering her kittens when the kittens are nearly weaned. Allow her no contact with tomcats during this time because she may become pregnant again.

This article will talk all about when to spay your cat and its benefits.

The Importance Of Spaying And Neutering Cats

Here at TheCatSite, were no strangers to talking about the importance and benefits of spaying and neutering your cats. Just in case youre wondering whether or not to spay or neuter due to the price, lets talk for a bit about why its so important to get cats fixed. If youre committed to spaying/neutering, feel free to scroll down to the next topic.

So, as a quick refresher.

Spaying and neutering are two separate surgeries that prevent reproduction in cats. In females, the surgeon will take out the ovaries and the uterus. In males, they will take out the testes. These surgeries are incredibly common, with millions of cats undergoing these procedures every year. Cats are never conscious and thus feel no pain during the surgery.

And since were doing a quick recap, just a few more facts.

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Should Female Cats Have A Litter Of Kittens Before Being Spayed

People used to think that female cats should have a litter of kittens before being spayed, but Corbett says theres no good reason for that. And if youre on the fence about spaying because youd like your children to experience kittens, he has an answer for that, too: become a foster family.

There are a lot of shelters that help moms and kittens and are able to provide that experience of raising kittens, Corbett says. But instead of adding more kittens to the world that need to find homes, youre helping homeless kittens.

Are Complications After Spaying A Cat Common

While the complications from spaying a cat are low for healthy, young felines, they can still happen. In some cases, post-operative complications might include inflammation or infection at the incision site, the incision could re-open, or swelling under the skin at the incision site can also occur. Spayed female cats can also run the risk of developing bladder infections, and in rare cases, urinary incontinence.

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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.

Is There A Medical Cause Of Spraying

Its estimated that approximately 30% of cats will spray urine for medical reasons, rather than behavioural problems.

The most common medical cause of urine spraying is cystitis which is an inflammation of the bladder. This can be caused by bladder stones or infection but there is often no known cause in cats. Theres lots of evidence that cystitis is related to stress in cats, a syndrome known as feline lower urinary tract disease . If left untreated male cats are at risk of urinary blockage. This is where grit or stones obstruct the urethra, or inflammation causes it to go into spasm. If the urethra is blocked the cat cant pass urine, and will quickly become very sick. This is an emergency and needs immediate veterinary intervention.

Some cats may adopt a more upright position to urinate, similar to spraying, due to pain in the hips or spine. This can be due to a previous injury or osteoarthritis developing with age. Other signs may be present such as reduced willingness to jump, sleeping more, and grooming excessively around the affected areas. Joint pain can usually be identified on examination and successfully treated with pain killers.

All cats who suddenly start spraying should initially see a vet to check for an underlying cause.

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How Much To Feed A Cat Chart

You should remember that an individual cats needs may vary by as much as 50% from these calculated values, and that it is always necessary to modify feeding quantities depending on how a cats body weight changes over time.

Once the daily recommended number of kilocalories has been calculated, you then need to discover how many kilocalories are in the food that you are offering. This depends on the ingredients in the food. You can usually discover this, if not on the food label, by visiting the pet food manufacturers website, or by contacting them directly.

This method will allow you to calculate for yourself, from first principles, approximately how much food you should be feeding your cat.

For many people, this type of calculation is too complex, and they prefer to simply follow the manufacturers guide on the label, modifying this over time depending on how their pets body weight changes.

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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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Is A Neutered Tomcat Less Likely To Run Away

Its true that tomcats that are not spayed are more likely to run away and find another home. They can be very fickle, spending a lot of time outdoors.

After being neutered a tomcat will often have a lot less desire to roam around. Every cat is different, but generally speaking it will become more of a homebody than before.

What Complications Can There Be With Spaying

The biggest complications associated with spaying come from the potential weight your cat can gain, which in turn can lead to serious health conditions. Diabetes and joint disease are both linked to obesity in cats, while sedentary or indoor cats can end up with digestive issues due to a lack of movement and lots of time spent grooming themselves.

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Stress Fear & Anxiety

Next up, we have stress, fear, and anxiety. Cats can be extremely sensitive to changes in the home, loud noises, different forms of travel, and anything else that goes against their daily routine. For example, my kitty gets stressed whenever I take her somewhere in the car.

When a cat feels stressed or scared, a typical response is yowling. This is their way of telling you that they dont feel safe. Do your best to remove your cat from the situation or, if thats not possible, try to comfort her instead, either by being there for her or by using calming pheromone collars.

Sometimes, a scared cat will try to hide in a safe place and stay until they feel safe enough to come out. If the stressor is inside your home, your cat might hide somewhere outside the house or run away from home. Therefore, listening to their yowls and acting appropriately are extremely important.

If your indoor cat is missing for 24 hours or more, try not to panic. Id thoroughly search your home first and then ask your neighbors for help. A scared cat will rarely have gone very far.

Other Alternatives You Can Try

As you have noticed, the cost for declawing your cat can be extremely high based on several factors. Moreover, you dont want to make your cat suffer if you cant afford the laser surgery for them.

Therefore, here are some suggestions on what you can do so that they dont need to be declawed:

• The Normal Nail Trimming: Instead of removing their claws completely, trimming their nails can be a great alternative. This method is the cheapest one since you can do it by yourself. A help from a professional vet will cost you $10 to $30.
• Train Your Cat: More ideally, you should train your cat not to scratch the objects in your house. This can be done by applying a punishment whenever they start scratching something in your house.
• Buy The Nail Caps: Another option is to purchase some acrylic nail caps and put them on your cats nails. This might cause some frustration to your cat while scratching and prevent them from damaging your furniture at the same time. Check out this YouTube video for more instructions. You can use the Soft Paws as well.

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When Should You Spay Or Neuter Your Cat

Kittens as young as eight weeks old can be spayed or neutered safely. Cats altered before six months of age will have a lower risk of developing behavioral or health problems, as compared to those that undergo these procedures later in life. Spaying and neutering early in life may even prevent problem behaviors before they develop. If an unaltered cat is displaying problem behaviors, it’s never too late to spay or neuter, regardless of age.

Spaying Your Cat Before Heat

A spay surgery, or ovariohysterectomy, is considered a relatively low-risk, routine, surgery if the cat is not in heat. Ideally, you will have your cat spayed before her first heat to keep things simple.

Vets generally recommend spaying kittens by the age of six months. That’s because most female kittens will have their first heat cycle between the ages of six and nine months. Though uncommon, some cats will go into heat as early as four months of age. Many animal shelters and rescue groups prefer to spay kittens as young as eight weeks of age. This prevents accidental pregnancies later on. If you are concerned about making sure you have your cat spayed before her first heat, you may want to talk to your vet about doing the surgery early.

Once a cat begins her heat cycle, she can easily become pregnant. Most feline heat cycles last about four to seven days. If she does not mate during this heat cycle, she will probably continue to go into heat again every few weeks.

If your cat does go into heat, you are now faced with a decision. Should you wait to spay your cat after her heat, or should you have her spayed while she is still in heat?

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Why Should I Get My Cat Neutered

There are lots of reasons why its a good idea. Heres just a few:

For male cats:

• Neutering reduces their chance of catching feline immunodeficiency virus , an incurable disease similar to HIV in humans which is spread by saliva usually from bite wounds during fights.
• Unneutered cats that are confined can become frustrated and may try any escape route including out of your top floor window.
• Neutering cats reduces their urge to roam and fight so theyre less likely to go missing, get hit by cars, or get hurt.

For female cats:

• Spaying cats, especially if its done when theyre young, greatly reduces the risk of them getting breast cancer and infection of the womb . Both of these can be fatal.
• Pregnancy and birth can carry significant risks to a cat.

For you:

• A female cat can produce up to six kittens, three times a year. Thats a lot of mouths to feed.
• It can be very stressful trying to make sure your cat doesnt get pregnant and, if she does, youve got the worry of caring for her through her pregnancy, birth and the rearing of her litter. And thats before the challenge of finding good homes for the kittens.
• Female cats that arent spayed often come into season over and over again, which means they can be almost continuously in heat. This can be exhausting and usually attracts a queue of amorous and vocal tomcats to the house.
• Unneutered male cats tend to urine-mark their territory, including your house, with a powerful and unpleasant scented urine.

For cat-kind:

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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Spraying Reason #: Medical Issues

If your cat has stopped using the litter box or if he urinates right in front of you, its time to see your veterinarian. A urinary tract infection may be responsible for your cats recent spraying behavior.

Kidney disease may also bring about changed urinary habits, including more frequent urination.

Since cats cant verbalize when theyre in trouble, they may use changed behavior to signal to you that something is wrong.

Are There Spay And Neuter Risks

Complications for spaying and neutering are rare, but there are risks, Corbett says. The risks reflect any type of anesthesia or surgery, so you always have to say that death is a risk. There are a very, very small percentage of animals who can respond poorly to anesthesia, so thats the number one worry.

Kruck says that similar to how humans can react differently to anesthesia, so can animals. The actual surgery, however, is less worrisome.

The risks from the surgery are few because the procedures are very routine, says Kruck. Possible surgical risks include ligatures slipping, contamination of the surgical field, abnormal bleeding due to a clotting disorder, bruising, and pain.

Though its not necessarily a risk, its important to know that sometimes spayed cats will still go into heat. In some cases, part of an ovary is missed during surgery because it was hidden in the abdomen, so the procedure has to be done twice, Corbett says.

Overall, the risks are real, but they are rare.

If youre still nervous heading into the procedure, keep Humlies words in mind: Every pet owner is probably nervous about a surgery, even though its very, very routine surgery most of the time. At our clinic, our doctor has literally done thousands and thousands of them.

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