What is the difference between cat spaying and neutering?
A cat spay is where we remove both ovaries and part of the uterus from a female cat. Whereas a cat neuter, or castration, is where we remove the testicles. They are two different procedures. Cat neuters tend to be less invasive and generally a pretty quick and smooth process. It's also quick and smooth for cat spays, but they are a little bit more invasive as we have to actually make an abdominal incision to remove both ovaries and part of the uterus. Generally, whether it's a spay or neuter, they both do very well with few complications. And there are various benefits that we'll be discussing.
At what age should I have my cat spayed or neutered?
The age of spaying and neutering does vary a little bit depending on the situation. In general, a good rule of thumb is about 6 months of age for a spay or neuter. However, we sometimes do that a little earlier, so 4 to 6 months is sometimes a recommendation you will hear. In rescue situations or shelters, kittens are often spayed or neutered early because of population control. They want to ensure that the kittens are fixed before they go out the door because we have lots of kittens around. By doing so, we're controlling the population. Some cats, if adopted older or found at an older age, may be spayed or neutered older, and that's okay too, but ideally, that six-month time point is a recommendation.
What are the benefits of spaying or neutering my cat?
There are a lot of different benefits to spaying and neutering, both behavioral and health-wise. Health-wise, for female cats in particular, by spaying them at an early age, we are decreasing the risk for mammary cancer later in life. The other helpful thing is, again, population control and preventing accidental mating. Sometimes, those cats that are intact and not neutered or spayed are more prone to roaming, particularly if they have any outside access. When females are in heat, they tend to show signs such as increased affection, increased vocalization, and some abnormal behaviors at home. By spaying them, we are eliminating that. Male cats can be more prone to fighting when they are intact and they also are more prone to urine marking, which is where they may back up to things at home, such as boxes, walls, or furniture, and spray a little bit of urine. Cat urine, especially intact cat urine, is powerful, so by addressing this early on, we are eliminating that concern.
Are there any risks associated with spaying or neutering?
Anytime we are doing surgery on any animal, there is technically inherent risk with anesthesia. However, generally, these cats, being that this is an elective procedure, are in generally good health. We take the necessary steps to mitigate that risk with our anesthesia, and again, generally the vast majority do very well with no complications. But there is always an inherent risk with anesthesia for any animal, and we don't always know what's going to happen until we do it. But I would say, by and large, all cats do very well.
What is the typical recovery time after spaying or neutering?
Typically, the recovery time that you will see on our discharge instructions is 7 to 10 days. During that time, we want to keep them calm. Now, as you can guess, trying to keep a cat calm and quiet can be a tough task. Sometimes, they need to be confined to a smaller area of the house to accomplish that. We just don't want them doing anything too crazy, like really roughhousing or jumping a lot, anything that's going to be too excessive after surgery. As you can imagine for yourself, there can be some complications that arise if they do too much too soon. Generally, after that 7 to 10 day time point, they're okay to get more free range and kind of get back to normal life, but it doesn't hurt to ease them back into that transition. Usually, there are no sutures that have to be removed in these scenarios, so it's just a matter of getting them to heal up.
What should I do during my cat's post-surgery recovery?
During the post-surgery recovery, we have some further recommendations that we always send home on discharge instructions. The big things are again, limiting their activity. We like to have you watch for upset stomach afterwards; sometimes, doing a bland diet or small frequent meals can help. We ask you to watch the incision site closely and monitor their behavior. We want to know about any vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, decreased appetite, or anything like that. It is normal for them to be a little sleepy the night of the surgery, but generally, they come out of that by the next day and are acting pretty normal and comfortable. They will be on pain medication for a few days afterwards as well.
How do I care for my cat's surgical site after spaying or neutering?
We do not recommend bathing within those first couple of days or within the first week or so after surgery. Most cats aren't going to tolerate a bath anyway. However, some spot cleaning can be done with either a damp rag or using some hydrogen peroxide on a rag to dab around the incision. We just want to make sure we don't disturb the incision itself; we're just cleaning gently around it as needed.
What should I do if I notice complications after my cat's surgery?
If there are any complications, as I said, we want to know about them immediately. That can be anything from not eating, having difficulty getting pain meds, concerns for infection, irritation of the surgery site, and anything in between.
How does spaying and neutering impact my cat's weight?
Cats that are spayed and neutered do tend to have lower requirements for calories per day. It decreases their metabolism, so we do have to adjust their feedings and make sure we're feeding them an appropriate amount. Anytime we are reducing food, we take it slowly, nothing drastic, and we can walk you through that process. Generally, there is a suggested feeding amount on the food bag; however, that sometimes is an overestimate, especially for these cats that are spayed or neutered. So, if anything, we may just decrease that a little bit, but we also adjust it according to their lifestyle. If they're particularly active, they may still be able to eat a normal amount.
If you have questions, we would love to answer them for you. Please give us a call at the office at (402) 489-0501, or you can email us at staff@vhvet.com. Our staff would love to talk with you!
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